AND THEN THERE WAS SILENCE

God Has Spoken.

THE PACE OF THE FAITHFUL

Proverbs 28:20

“A faithful man shall abound with blessings: but he that maketh haste to be rich shall not be innocent.” (Proverbs 28:20)

“Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth.” (Psalm 46:10)

The LORD moves with the calm sovereignty of eternity. His works rise without haste, His purposes unfold without strain, His counsel stands without faltering. “He is the Rock, his work is perfect: for all his ways are judgment: a God of truth and without iniquity, just and right is he.” (Deuteronomy 32:4) Nothing in Him is driven by fear or lack. Nothing in Him is hurried. His pace is peace, and His movements are the quiet procession of holiness. When the soul beholds Him as He is, the frantic motion of man is exposed—not merely as busyness, but as a heart that has forgotten the God who cannot be rushed. “My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure.” (Isaiah 46:10)

The man who “maketh haste to be rich” reveals more than ambition; he reveals unbelief. He runs because he fears lack. He grasps because he doubts provision. He hurries because he cannot rest in the God who says, “The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, saith the LORD of hosts.” (Haggai 2:8) His haste is not diligence; it is fear. And in that fear innocence bends. “He that is greedy of gain troubleth his own house; but he that hateth gifts shall live.” (Proverbs 15:27) The hurried man stains his soul in pursuit of what he cannot keep, forgetting the Father who feeds the sparrows and clothes the lilies. “Behold the fowls of the air… yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?” (Matthew 6:26) “Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin.” (Matthew 6:28)

But the faithful man moves differently. His steps are steady because his God is great. “He that tilleth his land shall have plenty of bread; but he that followeth after vain persons shall have poverty enough.” (Proverbs 28:19) He walks uprightly. “Whoso walketh uprightly shall be saved: but he that is perverse in his ways shall fall at once.” (Proverbs 28:18) He fears the LORD all the day long. “Be thou in the fear of the LORD all the day long.” (Proverbs 23:17) He does not chase blessing; he walks with the One who gives it. “In quietness and in confidence shall be your strength.” (Isaiah 30:15) His steadiness is worship. His patience is faith. His quietness is strength. Under the weight of God’s sovereignty, his heart is anchored, and his path is straight.

And all of this bends toward Christ. “My times are in thy hand.” (Psalm 31:15) This was the rhythm of His earthly life. He refused the shortcut to glory. “Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain… Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan.” (Matthew 4:8–10) He rejected the haste of the crowds. “When Jesus therefore perceived that they would come and take him by force, to make him a king, he departed again into a mountain himself alone.” (John 6:15) He moved only at the Father’s will. “I do always those things that please him.” (John 8:29) He walked in the unhurried obedience of heaven. His faithfulness became our salvation. And now, united to Him, the hurried man becomes the steady man, because the God who never rushes has become his refuge.

And then there was silence.

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