Hi God, it’s me…again. Are you there? Silence.
Ever been in this place? Same. Truthfully, as believers, we all have. That’s because we live in a world that has blockages and barriers that often prevent us from distinguishing God’s voice over all the other noise. Yet, as difficult as it is to experience the silence and seemingly abandonment of God, there is usually an underlying reason as to why God may feel and appear distant.
Thankfully, the Scriptures provide stories that help us understand the true nature of our God. Job is one such story. It reminds us that God is just and has authority over this life yet shows that He is also purposeful and intentional with every aspect of our lives. He sees the grander picture down to the minute details and brings meaning to it all.
Job may be well-known for his faithfulness under constant trials, acute afflictions, and great suffering, but he was also well-acquainted with God’s silence. Even still, in his darkest and most critical moments, he continued to pray and cry out to God. Job’s seemingly innocent suffering and God’s quiet response capture this imagery of how our vulnerability and humility can impact our interactions with God. But we’ll unpack more on this later!
For now, we must hold fast to the truth that we serve a God who is intentional and sees and knows all things (Psalm 33:13-15). That means God (even when silent) is working behind the scenes of your life. And let me assure you right now, before we continue, that He hasn’t turned a blind eye or given you a cold shoulder to your pain or current situation. So, grab your Bible, and let’s see where God can meet you today and in this season of your life. If God remains silent, there is always a reason and purpose behind it!
1. Learn to Be Honest with Yourself, and God.
When God is silent, it’s important to evaluate the current season you are in and come to grips with your own inner struggles. When we encounter times of great tragedy, pain, or all-consuming life changes, it can leave us asking the question, “Why did this happen and where is God now?”
In the book of Job, we never fully understand why God allowed Satan to test Job or allow such suffering (Job 1:6-12); however, we do come to fully understand that God is just, and He runs the world according to His will, and purpose (Job 38 - 40). In the end, God praises Job for coming to Him in all vulnerability and in prayer (Job 42:7-8).
So, let me ask you: What are you walking through right now? Are you pushing God away or inviting Him to sit with you in the middle of it? Be honest. Our struggles can cause us to retreat inward or extend outward as we bear our hearts to God. Oh, friend, will you boldly choose the latter and take your full heart to Him today? Bring all your hurt and pain, all burdens and endless questions, and lay it all at His feet.
2. Pray for Change, Confess Sin, and Seek Growth.
Another reason God could be silent is unrepented sin in our lives. When we walk in a way that does not honor God, guilt and shame can fester, leading to a feeling of distance from our Heavenly Father. While our prayers to God are priceless, when we have sin hanging over us, it creates a wall and hinders the most intimate time that we can spend with Him. This is why Psalms 66:18-20 packs a powerful message about our conversations with God. The author isn’t fully known, and while some suspect it is David speaking here, the underlying theme is that the way we posture our hearts and come before the Lord matters.
Basically, we must recognize that we are all sinners and fall short of God’s glory. However, as we come before Him and confess our sins and inequities, we are set free—granted by the divine acts of God’s unfailing mercy and grace! So, is there a sin, or more importantly, a repeated sinful offense you keep reliving that is causing you to fall into the trap of heavy guilt or shame? Is it making you feel ashamed to come before God? Oh, dear friend, take a deep breath and then exhale. Yes, God already knows, but there is so much power (healing power) in this act of confession (1 John 1:9). In coming clean before God and furthermore, seeking repentance, we can break down the walls of our sin and build back healthy bridges allowing us to hear from Him more clearly.
3. Release Control as You Trust God More.
Maybe God is silent because you are failing to recognize His authority over your life. That is exactly what happened to the Israelites as Moses was leading them out of exile.
Moses must have been terrified when he led the Israelites out of Egypt, but he trusted God and His provision. In Exodus 14, God instructs Moses to inform the Israelites to go set up camp in the wilderness and then…wait. While God delivered consequences to Pharoah and gave him a dose of humility, the crew out in the wilderness started to question Moses and grow frightened. Yet God reminds Moses that He will gain glory in the end. Then the Egyptian army comes marching in and approaches their camp, and fear strikes the Israelites. They quickly become angry with Moses, wondering if they were brought out to the desert to die. Moses retorts with this beloved verse: “Do not be afraid…The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still” (Exodus 14:14).
In this story, I can’t say I wouldn’t have had the same thoughts if I were one of those people wandering around the desert with Moses. The truth is that trusting God isn’t easy. It takes full confidence in God's authority and trusts in His leadership. Are you allowing God to fight your battles? Are you trusting God is with you in the middle of your raging storm, even if you can’t hear or feel His presence? Will you turn to Him and invite Him to your worries, concerns, and fears, and allow Him to be the calm but mighty force you need to keep forging on?
4. Practice Prayerful Gratitude.
When was the last time you paused and got still before God with a real, honest, and open heart, seeking His presence without any distractions? What about going to Him in earnest prayer, fervently praying as a doting son or daughter, seeking His will and way for your life? How about praising Him? Like full-on belting out praise and worship, declaring the wonders of His love, and proclaiming His rich and faithful goodness?
If God has been silent lately, consider spending time getting still before Him. Psalm 37:7 tells us to be still and wait patiently on the Lord. God’s silence often creates an intimate space to soak in the wonders of His love. What does that look like for you in this season? Is it putting on a TV show so you can hide in your bedroom to seek stillness, or is it stepping away from the laptop and going for a quiet walk? Experience that and welcome God into those places.
In Matthew 6:9-13, Jesus lays out the outline of prayer. While our prayers are to be personal and intimate, at times, we can reach places where our prayers become rote or meaningless, so we revert to Jesus’ models for His disciples and us. When we come with the right attitude, we can give glory to the Father, praising His holy name, then request our daily needs, seek forgiveness, and deliverance from evil. When we truly pray from our heart and remember Who we are praying to, it changes our prayer life, allowing us to discern the voice of God.
Lastly, Psalms is chock full of praise. Take time to read a few verses a day and lift them up to our loving Father. As you go about your day, put on some praise and worship music or create your own praise and song within your heart and share it with God. Let your love for the Lord shine without any strings attached.
Whether we hear from God or not, we must have full confidence that He is in control of our lives and there is always a meaningful and intentional purpose for His silence. As we begin to expose our lives and come clean before Him, we realize God just wants our trust, vulnerability, and humility. So, let’s offer that to Him!
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