Silent Night

I'm borrowing words and ideas from Jeff Henderson today. If you're not familiar with Jeff's name, he is part of the pastoral staff at North Point Community Church in Atlanta. 
Jeff started his message yesterday by giving a history lesson in an intriguing way. The nerd in me perked up. There were 400 years of silence from the time that the Book of Malachi was written until Jesus was born. That's a lot of silent nights. Jesus' birth wasn't so much about one silent night, but about the interruption of 400 years of silence. Maybe the Christmas carol should be "Silent Nights".
So what was God doing during that time? He was laying the groundwork needed to spread the Gospel. During that 400 years some things occurred that may seem random, but God had a purpose for all of it. 
First, Alexander the Great conquered the known world. He didn't do that over night. Conquering the world takes time. And once Alexander the Great had accomplished his historical feat, he decided that everyone should speak the same language. So he declared Koine Greek the official language.
Second, the Roman Empire developed military peace. Third, the Romans developed an improved transportation system. The Roman Empire had provided peace and good roads for traveling.
So let's see. God knew he was going to send his Son here to be sacrificed for us. He knew that there needed to be a way to spread the Gospel though out the world. So is it a coincidence that just before Jesus was born there was an official language that could be shared with everyone, peace throughout the lands and roads so his disciples could travel safely? Is it a coincidence that all of this happened and the original New Testament was written in Koine Greek? 
When you feel that God is being silent in your life, remember he's laying the groundwork for something bigger and better. When you hear silence from God and feel he is absent; trust in his presence. The best place we can hope to be is in the center of God's will. 

Galatians 4:4-5

New Living Translation (NLT)

⁴ But when the right time came, God sent his Son, born of a woman, subject to the law. ⁵ God sent him to buy freedom for us who were slaves to the law, so that he could adopt us as his very own children.