Have you ever had a time in your life when you felt God was silent? Have you ever prayed and prayed and prayed and prayed – and heard or saw nothing in response? “God! Are You there?!â€
“I am the first and I am the last: apart from me there is no God.†Isaiah 44:6 (NIV)
“Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last. I am the Living One; I was dead, and behold I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades.†Revelation 1:17-18 (NIV)
God is the Un-Created One. He is here. He always has been. His ears are perfect. Then why would it seem that He is not answering me?
1) Am I in a ‘hearing position’? God said in 2 Chronicles that if I would humble myself and pray that He would hear and respond. Have I been truly humble or arrogantly demanding in my prayers? God is my Father. He is my Savior. If He never hears another word I say or answer another request – He has still done everything for me! So when we chat together do I remember to whom I am speaking? Do I get that He is friend but still God?
2) Are my ears listening for God’s voice? I am His child. A child knows their parent’s voice. They may say they didn’t hear you but they did. They are choosing to ignore! Too many times I may have an answer that I want and so that is all that I want to hear. God’s words to me will always line up with who He is and that makes my day-to-day relationship so important so that I am ‘familiar’ with Him. He may pull me out of my comfort zone and convict me of my sin but He won’t be telling me something condemning or destructive.
3) Is God, in His silence, already answering? Ah. There’s a tough one. When God is silent, I pray more. I focus more on Him. I am leaning more on Him. I move away from trying to figure it out on my own and instead ask God for His answer to the situation. I must let go of what I am holding in order to grasp God’s Hand.
God’s silence is is not about ignoring me or rejecting me. On the contrary, it is all about me. God, the loving Father, has His eyes on me and is completing the work He began in me…raising me to be the woman after His heart.
So the next time I think God is silent, maybe I will remember this time today and what I have learned and get quiet, too. Quietly listening for my Father’s wise words.
