When there is Silence

Have you ever felt that your prayers were lost in the ether? Or your ears were peeled for an answer, but none came?


There are many others who could discuss the silence of God more adequately than myself but I can only comment on what I have experienced. Here are some thoughts.


God still has the Last Say
There are many of us, including myself in unguarded moments, where we regard God in our image. We think of Him as having failings and limitations like us - but this is a grave mistake. When we make God in our own image, we not only under-estimate Him and insult Him, we also miss out on so much.


We miss out on the peace that comes with the assurance of God's limitless power; we miss out trusting and stepping out on a limb, then seeing God's step in and do miracles. We miss out when we underestimate Him.


God is also sovereign; He has the last say. It doesn't mean that He doesn't tolerate questions -- it just means that as King of the Universe, He has the right to do what He feels best. Look at Abraham and Moses - both of them pleaded with God to reconsider His plans (Ex 32; Gen 18:16-33) and God listened to them.


Because we know that He is good, and that He loved us enough for Him to offer Himself as a sacrifice for our sin, we know that He will make the right decisions concerning us. We may not understand all of His decisions - in fact, we may seriously question them. Yet it is important to realise that we can only see such a small portion of the future, or of events at large.


We can never know the full impact of one act, one word, much less the events of our lives. God can see and comprehend it all, whilst our vision and understanding is so limited that we have no hope of having a strong basis to say to God "You don't know what you're doing."

Isaiah 29:16: How foolish can you be?He is the Potter, and he is certainly greater than you, the clay!   Should the created thing say of the one who made it, “He didn’t make me”?   Does a jar ever say, “The potter who made me is stupid”?

God may not answer a prayer, but I cannot deny the times He has answered me before. He may not have done something I asked for, but it does not negate what He had already done for me. My experience is of a God who loves me fully and completely. Who am I to question His hand in the face of His greatness?


Our Sins Get in the Way

Isaiah 59:2 says:"And your iniquities have separated you from God; and your sins have hidden His face from you, so that He will not hear."

When we stubbornly hold on to a sin that we know is wrong but refuse to admit so, we'll find His voice distant, His Word difficult to receive. Our sin blocks the pipes. If you value Him, and the quality of your life enough, you will do all you can to clear the pipes. Sin is poison in our system, and exceedingly deceitful. If gives you what you want, but it brings with it death. Then you'll wonder why things seem harder, why your attitude is poisoned, why the thing that you thought would satisfy you is destroying you too.


Sin is not some laid-down rule to control you - it's the 'don't touch the hot kettle' kind of rules that keep us whole, and safe. You don't need to find out the hard way that God's ways are the best ways - listen and obey!


It's Already Been Said


There's a few parts to this: existing knowledge, the push to discover, the knowing silence of intimacy.


Once upon a time, my Dad told me not to do something but I didn't listen. I went away and thought that the best way to resolve my problem was precisely what he had told me NOT to do. So I asked him what he thought about it. He was silent. I pestered him until he stopped me and said sternly, "I've already told you the answer. You know what I think about it. Why are you asking me?"


His answer wasn't very satisfactory because I wanted him to sanction my decision. But because he didn't stop me, I thought I could go ahead with my plans. When it went all pear-shaped, you can guess that my moans were not received well.


Sometimes God doesn't even bother stopping us with 'You already know what I think'. He knows that we've already decided to go against His counsel, and is leaving it with us to decide whether to follow Him, or to follow our own ideas. It's a test of our obedience.


On the flip side, we might be moaning about something that His Word is already clear about. God may not answer because we have a little nudge to go discover it for ourselves. Search His Word, believe it, act on it. God is definitely no spoon-feeder; every good teacher knows spoon feeding is detrimental to their students.


Lastly, there is an eloquence in silence. God doesn't have to speak through words or voices. Sometimes, through the silence comes an idea, a sense of assurance... Any couple who know each other well can attest that volumes can be said in just sitting together in silence. 


Hide and Seek
Sometimes we get a whiff of God's presence, and we call to Him and get no answer. These are times calling us to seek Him with all the fervency and vigour of a devoted lover. God is not interested in one-night stands, or flattery. He wants your sincere love.


Those who are prepared to seek and pursue Him will find all that their heart desires, and more.


Now, what should you do?
If you have sin, and are getting silence, you'll know about it. The answer for that is to repent (ie give up your sin, and walk away from it). As for the other reasons, I would say,  "don't be afraid of God's silence." Seek Him. God can speak in innumerable ways. He is always saying something. It just might not be in a way that we expect.