Spiritual Silence

Dr. Mike 2026

For God alone, O my soul, wait in silence, for my hope is from him. Psalm 62:5

How often do we pray asking God for guidance or direction, but there is only silence on the other end?

We ask again, and again, and again. But still no word. No response. Just quiet. What then?

Do we begin to doubt God? Do we take control of the steering wheel and move ahead without HIM? Or do we begin to ask, what is HE trying to teach me at this moment?

Silence shuts out the noise for the moment. It removes all distractions from the playing field at that time. It helps one settle down and focus on the issue at hand.

Silence also helps one to recharge. Instead of expressing one’s opinion or feelings, it stops the chatter. It forces one to listen. To actually look around and see what one may be missing around them. It makes one stop, get off the noise machine, and reflect on the now moment.

Many of the saints over the years have practiced the discipline of silence. It is one of many means of grace that helps us to refocus our eyes to Papa God.

In a twenty-four/seven culture, it is necessary at times to get off the train and sit for a while. To review one’s life, one’s purpose, and one’s relationships. Are we living the life as God made us to be? Are we heading in the direction with Jesus or have we left HIM behind somewhere? What is God showing me now that I am missing?

Silence is a tool that allows us to pullback and stop contributing our noise into the situation. It is a practical way to proactively seek what God is teaching us at the moment. It allows us to realign ourselves with the Holy Spirit. It helps us to focus on the Kingdom work being done in us, through us, and for us for the sake of others.

The prophet Elijah learned the same lesson. He found himself despondent from the problems around him (1 Kings 19:9-14). God eventually spoke to him in a small quiet voice. As we wait in silence, we also learn to listen for the quiet voice of God rather than the loud echoes of culture.

HE is always with us. We only need to learn how best to communicate with HIM. HE always answers. Most of the time though, we are either too busy, hard of hearing, or don’t recognize the answer. Practicing the way of silence may be one way for us to better hear our Triune God.

So, let silence become your friend. Invest time with her and see how God becomes more alive in your corner of the world.

Rooting For You in Christ!

Dr. Mike

Faith-Integrator, Encourager, Scribbler

“We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives,” (Colossians 1:9)

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It Hurts

Dr. Mike 2026 , , ,

 “Rejoice, young man, during your childhood, and let your heart be pleasant during the days of young manhood. And follow the impulses of your heart and the desires of your eyes. Yet know that God will bring you to judgment for all these things. So, remove sorrow from your heart and keep pain away from your body, because childhood and the prime of life are fleeting.” Ecclesiastes 11:9-10 NASB

Everyone will experience hurt in their lifetime. Most hurts will heal. Some will not. All hurts though will leave an imprint in our life. In some ways we are the sum total of our hurts.

These hurts come from an endless source of darts thrown in our direction. Most often from an unlimited pile of human ignorance. Some hurts are the reflection of expectations gone wrong. Others are the damage left by people deliberately or unintentionally provoking you.

Whatever the source, the result is the same. It hurts. 

We may bring hurt upon ourselves by a sinful act. We may think we are doing good when the end result is harm to another.

We hurt when the grade needed from a class falls short and we lose out on a scholarship for college.

We hurt when the person we have a crush on tells us they are not interested.

We hurt when the bills are more than the money in the checking account.

We hurt from the outcome of an auto accident.

We hurt when someone close to us suffers from a tragedy.

We hurt when we wake up the next day with a hangover from yesterday’s party.

We hurt when our close friend reveals a hidden secret to others.

We hurt when our spouse tells us they do not love us any longer and wants to go their separate way.

We hurt when rejected from the job we enjoy.

We hurt when our love ones die.

We hurt when our bodies no longer quickly recover from the workout that day realizing age is catching up to us.

The issue is not the hurt. But how we respond to it. The hurt may last a lifetime. Or only a few minutes. But the fuller we grieve; the faster we forgive others and ourselves; the healthier we become with another learned lesson toward maturity in Christ.

God wants us to dream dreams and pursue them. He wants us to chase the desires of our heart. But HE also wants us to do so within the boundaries of HIS character. Being hurt is the price of becoming more like Christ.

An athlete chooses temporary pain to grow their muscles. They push themselves until it hurts. Then they back away. They want to be the best they can be. So, hurt is part of their process.

As Christ-followers, we likewise learn to integrate faith into every area of our life. That includes our dreams and desires. We thus pursue our goals partnering with Jesus. We ask HIM to be involved in our daily walk. We offer our dreams to HIM. We ask and seek out HIS ways in the process. But we are careful our dreams are always secondary to our relationship with HIM.

Yes, in the Christian journey many darts of hurt will come our way. The pain will be real. It will hurt. But as we lean on Jesus, HE will walk with us in the pain. HE will help heal the hurt or carry us through the pain. We will learn from the situation. We will mature in the process. We will learn to trust HIM more. And always, you can be assured, HE will continue to root for you, and help you, even while it hurts.   

Rooting For You in Christ!

Dr. Mike

Faith-Integrator, Encourager, Scribbler

“We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives,” (Colossians 1:9)

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I Also Marvel

Dr. Mike 2026 , , , , ,

“When they heard it, they marveled. And they left him and went away.” Matthew 22:22

One active word kept coming up this week when studying the life of Jesus. Whenever HE spoke or performed a work, people marveled. The above Scripture is only one example of HIS reply to the Pharisees who plotted to entangle him in his words. But failed again. This was the result of Jesus’ reply to ‘is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not’ question. HIS answer even made his enemies marvel!

When HE performed a miracle of healing, feeding, or commanding the weather, HE made an impact. The people around HIM left in amazement. They just witness a supernatural event. Or they experienced the mind of a genius. Or the gracious words that left them spellbound in thought. HE displayed life like no one before them. You would leave HIM being in a state of astonishment.  

HE would surprise people. He would make people wonder. Even HIS enemies would leave admiring HIM. How can one not marvel?

Yes I also marvel. I marvel at God’s creation. The order and fine-tuning of the universe. The birth of a child. HIS ability to be involved in the life of billions of people at the same time.

Then I also marvel at others for their outstanding work? Don’t you? For it allows us to grasp another side of God’s creation in full display. People expressing their natural abilities to the point of excellence. The track star practicing daily to run faster today than yesterday. The gymnast controlling their body with twists and turns in the air. The quarterback and receiver connecting on a 60-yard touchdown pass. These are only a few of the moments in sports I marvel at the actions.

There is also the excellence in business when strategy and execution meet. In the medical field, when the doctor completes an eight-hour heart or brain surgery to save the life of a patient. Or the first responders to an emergency arriving to immediately face and calm a crisis. The list is endless. We marvel at a God who made all this possible. So now, each time I marvel at an event, act, or display, it makes me see another side of our Creator. I marvel at HIS handiwork. I am also grateful to witness a Master at work in HIS everyday routine.      

Rooting For You in Christ!

Dr. Mike

Faith-Integrator, Encourager, Scribbler

“We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives,” (Colossians 1:9)

Aspirations and Writings Neatly Bound in Book Formats:
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