Have you ever known the grace in God’s silence? I have.
Several years ago I had surgery for cancer deep in my abdomen. It was the third surgery for cancer in that area. So, it was decided that I would receive five weeks of daily doses of radiation prior to inter-operative radiation. “Because of the difficult location of the tumor and the radiation, there’s a possibility that the nerve to your leg may be damaged affecting your ability to walk,” the surgeon at Mayo Clinic said, quietly.
Since I like to walk three miles a day, I tried to project what that implication might mean. I hesitated. “What are my odds?” I asked.
“You have a 50-50 chance of beating cancer and a 1 in 2 chance of being crippled from the surgery and radiation. But, those are good odds,” he said, and then added, “However, at this point, it’s really your only option since your type of cancer does not respond to chemo.”
I prayed and I weighed the risks. Since I did not sense any direction from the Lord not to go forward, I consented to the 25 radiation treatments and inter-operative radiation.
After an 11-hour surgery with inter-operative radiation and several days of recovery, I came home. My left leg and foot were completely numb. I had permanent nerve damage – the one possibility I dreaded the most because that meant I would never be able to walk normally again. I would always need a cane or walker.
One day a couple of weeks after returning home, I sat in my favorite chair by the window overlooking our back yard. I had been reading 2 Corinthians 12 where Paul pleaded with the Lord three times to take this thorn in the flesh from him. And the Lord said to Paul, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” I too, asked the Lord for healing. Not audibly, but in my spirit, I also heard the Lord say, “My grace is sufficient for you. For My power is made perfect in weakness.”
“Lord, what does that mean?” I prayed; searched Scripture and I contemplated. All to no avail.
The Lord was silent.
A couple of weeks later as I sat in my chair by the window, I finally came to the place of accepting what must be. I am handicapped for the rest of my life. 
The words of the Lord flashed through my mind, “My grace is sufficient for you. My power is made perfect in weakness.” Suddenly I understood. When I accepted what must be, I experienced what it means to know grace in God’s silence!
I am content. I really am okay with my disability. Yes, there are moments of frustration, but they are only moments. I still walk daily – it just takes me a longer, and I only go one mile, but I have received the greater gift – a deeper walk with the Lord; greater dependence on Him; a constant communion and an awareness of His presence. Truly, His power is made perfect in weakness. Grace in God’s silence? Absolutely!