When God is Silent

Silence has its benefits at certain times. When you're studying, reading for enjoyment, trying to sleep, when the kids have finally left for school :-) ... and at other times as well; silence is a good thing. It is never beneficial or enjoyable, however, when you feel as though you are getting the "silent treatment," especially from someone important to you.

I am a communication guy. To me, without talking and sharing we cannot know the thoughts and feelings of another. When someone will not speak to us we can experience a number of feelings from anger, rejection, and loneliness. Rarely are we comfortable during times when we are not communicating normally with a significant someone in our lives.

Obviously I am telegraphing my introductory comments. You know from the title of this post that I am going to say, "It's even worse when you feel that God is being silent toward you." :-)

Many of us have experienced times when it seemed that God was not speaking with us. Perhaps we are used to receiving daily inspiration and instruction from Him as we study His word. Maybe it is commonplace that we get a sense of assurance or direction from Him as we pray. We may even receive direct communication from our pastor's sermons or from a Bible teacher.

But what if you have seemingly slipped into a season when you sense nothing from the Lord. This can be quite frustrating if you are used to having regular communication from Him.

I am no expert in this area but I can share a thought or two that a loving seminary professor gave to me many years ago. I had gone to see him because I felt I could hear nothing from the Lord at that time. He said to me that there may be two reasons God is silent in my life.

Something May Need to Be Confessed

He said that sometimes we can possess a sinful trait that we don't even realize is "sinful." Sin is always birthed from selfishness. My desire at that time was to preach. I wanted to preach in churches every Sunday and I was getting no opportunities to do so. It dominated my thoughts and mind. I was frustrated and somewhat angry at pastors for not inviting me. I was even a little disappointed with God because of it. After all, He had called me to preach ... so shouldn't He get me some churches? This was my mindset.

To me, that desire didn't seem like sin. But in reality, it was. My thinking was that it couldn't be sin because I was simply wanting to honor my call. But the desire to preach was not the sin. The frustration and anger I felt because I was not getting opportunities was the sin.

I needed to confess the anger and frustration. I needed to wait upon the Lord. I wasn't hearing from the Lord because He was waiting for me to return to the place where I trusted everything to Him. This is what I did.

If God is silent in your life right now it may be because there is something you need to confess. Maybe you are like I was and don't believe certain things you desire are actually selfish. But even if they are good desires, they can actually possess a selfish aspect. My desire to preach was both God-honoring and selfish at the same time. Reflect on that for a moment. Let that sink in.

There is a second reason God can seem silent. The good professor told me that ...

You May Be Running Ahead of God

Timing is everything. When I was a pastor it was not uncommon for loving church members to come to see me with a ministry idea. Some of the ideas were simply not well thought out. Others were actually really good. But that did not mean I endorsed them immediately. In spite of how good the idea was, the timing was not right for the church.

This may be the case with you if you are not hearing from God right now. You may have some things in mind that you want God to sanction and honor. To you, these ideas are really beneficial to others. So, you may have a ministry idea, a spiritual goal for one of your children, a career thought, an investment idea, etc. But God is not saying much. Well, you may be running ahead of God. The timing is not right; yet.

I know. It's hard to wait and be patient when YOU have such a GREAT idea (emphasis intended). But God's ways are not always our ways and His thinking certainly supersedes ours.

As I said, I am no expert here. So, let's allow God to share a thought or two:

Psalm 27:14 - Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD.

Isaiah 40:31 - But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew [their] strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; [and] they shall walk, and not faint.

The good professor told me that God may be preparing me for something else other than what I was hoping for. He told me to put my ideas aside and quit trying so hard to move the heart and hand of God. He said, "wait upon the Lord." He may be preparing to blow you away with something far greater than what you'd like.

I trust this has been a blessing to you.

Tony Guthrie