WHEN GOD IS SILENT
by David C. Skousen, September 2006

And God said: “Sometimes I don’t help you—to help you.”
And the people said, “We don’t understand.”
And God replied: “That’s why I don’t always help you.”
Still not understanding, the people said: “You promised to answer our prayers and be our savior.”
And God replied: “I have always responded, when you were sincere.”
And the people said: “Then why do you neglect us at times?”
And God replied: “To make you stronger.”
And the people said: “But without You we are weaker.”
And God replied: “How can you know strength until you know weakness?”
And the people said: “How can we be strong by being weak?”
And God replied: “Because wisdom, the root of your strength, only comes from knowing both.”
And the people said: “Then we don’t want wisdom.”
And God replied: “Then you don’t want Truth.”
And the people self-righteously said: “We only want to know GOOD—that is the only Truth we find desirable.”
And God replied: “Good has no meaning without Evil. Evil has no meaning without Good.”
And the people said: “Why did You, the purest of the pure, make them both?”
And God replied: “I made the Law by which all things grow and prosper. It is not evil. All who disobey create evil.”
And the people said: “Since You’re all-powerful and all-knowing, why allow this disobedience, along with suffering, and destruction?”
And God replied: “All things are your teachers.”
And the people said: “Why should we accept Evil to be our teacher?”
And God replied: “So that you will believe Me when I teach Good.”
And the people said: “We have always believed you, whether or not we suffer Evil or Good!”
And God did not reply.
And the people thought that God could not refute their prideful declaration, and many of them lost confidence in God and went their way. A few remained to think about His silence. They wondered if, instead of intimidating God, that they had offended Him. They began to realize that they had lied to God, for they had not always believed Him, and instead, defiantly rebelled and created evil. They felt sorry for answering their loving, honest God with a lie.
These few knelt on the ground, putting themselves down for their wrong, and petitioned God to forgive them.
And God replied, “Now do you know why sometimes I hide from you?”
And the remnant of the people said: “We’re beginning to see Thy wisdom.”
And God said: “What do you see?”
And the remnant said: “We have been little babes, enjoying the milk of Thy sustaining Word, having no thought about where it comes from or why we are loved. But when that milk was gone, we began to wonder why. We began to think about the change. We asked questions we never asked before.”
And God said: “Yes, that is why I withdrew from you, so that you would begin to think for yourselves. And because of this—not having my Words, which can be likened to milk—you began to understand the value of the milk. In fact, the value of the milk increased!”
And the remnant said: “Yes, Lord, we are hungry for thy Word because, being cast out of the Garden that sustained us without cost, we are now in the desert with almost nothing.”
And God said: “It is in the desert that you find Me in newer and deeper ways. And those wanderers of the desert who do not believe Me will be lost and die of thirst, not trusting in the Waters of Life that I, alone, provide. All other waters, they will discover, are only a mirage.”
And the remnant said: “We see that knowing Evil increases our knowing Truth, because Truth includes both Good and Evil.”
And God said: “That is right. Let me tell you how this came to be—
“Instead of creating brainless machines to increase my joy, I have created children after the pattern of my own body. And I gave each the power to choose, a liberty that I also enjoy. No greater love could I show than to give you all that I AM, if you choose to receive Me.
And the remnant said: “We haven’t understood how great Thy love is. Now that we understand more, we see that we’ve hurt Thee by turning from Thy commands.
And God said: “My love for you is so great that I forgive you. And I want you to understand more perfectly that ALL my commands are for YOUR benefit. And any time you go against Me you go against yourselves.”
And the remnant said: “We are sorry to see our ignorance and foolish rebellion, but now Thou art showing us Thy Words, which we believe will bring us happiness.
And God said: “This is just the beginning of our joy together.”
And the remnant said: “Because our love is increased by receiving Thy love, we now feel concern for Thy happiness. What benefit can we bestow Thee as mere children?
And God said: “Your love increases my joy. That is my reward. My love increases your joy. That is your reward. But further, an increase for the one is always a benefit for the other. That is the way I organized my Kingdom. Can anything be more wonderful?
And the remnant said: “Only Thou knowest, but we believe nothing could be more wonderful.”
And God said: “And nothing could be more terrible.”
And the remnant said: “How could anything so wonderful be so terrible?”
And God replied: “After giving my children the power of choice, many choose foolishly. They choose against their own happiness.”
And the remnant said: “Why would they be so foolish?”
And God replied: “Because they want to be God without being God.”
And the remnant said: “How can that be?”
And God replied: “They suppose there is a better way, and that I am mistaken. Have not your own children done the same?”
And the remnant thought about it. Yes, their children did the same.
And God said: “And have you not also done the same?”
And the remnant bowed their heads and admitted it was true.
God continued: “This is the saddest part of being God, for every soul that rebels against me rebels against my love, and diminishes my joy. I use every means to reclaim each one of them, without abusing their will. I pour out even more love than before and invest Myself in them, hoping to revive their love. I give first, so that they may give back. I am the Father, and they are the children. I promised to make them fathers and mothers, to become like Me, but thinking they knew better, they refused my Law.”
And the remnant wept, and said: “Can we help rescue these rebellious children?” Such is Love’s response to Evil.
And God replied: “Please help Me reclaim our family. But you must do it My own way, because you are still children, still learning the Truth, and are not capable of deciding True judgment—yet. Without a fullness of Truth, you will hurt others, and you will hurt yourselves. Will you trust Me to lead you along the right path?”
And the remnant lifted their heads, then raised their hands as if to receive God, and both men and women declared as one voice—“Yes!”