God sends and we receive. This implies the process of delivery is contingent on two things: the sender and the receiver. Lately I have been meditating on how God grows us. Early in my spiritual life, God spoke loud and clear and I had no part in the receiving. God found me, turned me around as a father would, looked me in the eyes and told me things as plainly as He could so that I may understand. But God is a God of intimacy, and He is a good Gardener who desires our growth. He longs for us to learn how to listen to Him. This is because He desires friendship with us. God desires for us to grow from children: sons and daughters, into friends: men and women. He longs to clothe us with dignity and set us to work with Him in bringing creation back into its designed order in the Kingdom. Friends know each other so well that there is a unique way that they communicate to one another. They can say things without really saying them, pick up on nuances in each others’ choice of words, and understand the meaning behind what they are actually saying to each other. This comes with time, and with familiarity. God is not in a rush to get us to perfect intimacy with Him, but in a way, He also furiously longs for it so that the path never stops moving forward and He never stops calling us deeper. At first though, when God starts communicating in new ways, this may be disorienting and confusing. Silence is perhaps the most disorienting of all the modes of communication He uses. But it is communication none the less. This is not to say we can perfectly understand why He chooses to do what He does and when, but we can understand that. We can understand that it is for our good and for deeper intimacy with Him. We are growing in our ability to receive. No season is wasted, and when allowed to be what it is, every second of silence resounds with His approving love.