We’ve all been there. We pray. We ask to know God’s will, to hear His answer on something that is important to us. We go to Him earnestly seeking direction or peace, or we pray for Him to give us clarity, truth, and wisdom.
We ask. We listen. We wait. We ask again and again.
We wait some more. And crickets…
We just don’t understand why God isn’t answering. Why can’t we hear? Why won’t He answer?
We feel Turmoil, Frustration, and then Anger.
Recently, I was in that very place. I had asked for God to make His wisdom and direction clear for me in an important matter in my life. I had prayed about it for days and weeks on end, and I got nothing.
One morning, in sheer frustration, I stomped out onto the deck at my house where I often do my quiet time. I plopped down on the loveseat in disgust with God, and I cried out to Him, “God, if you really love me, if you are really for me, then this wouldn’t be so hard. You would say something. You wouldn’t just leave me here in this darkness and confusion with nothing. If you love me, and you are good, then why are you okay with me hurting and not helping me? And why won’t you say something? Seriously, is this some sort of sick joke? I don’t get it and I’m tired of trying.”
I sat there quietly for a minute feeling somewhat relieved to at least get out my frustration, yet, still feeling irritated at the complexity of God. But in the next moment, truth hit my spirit, and I grabbed my Bible.
For 37 Chapters of the Bible, Job prayed to God for answers, for truth, for clarity, for relief, for help as his life fell apart around him.
And nothing. For 37 Chapters.
Until Chapter 38…
“And now, finally, God answered Job from the eye of a violent storm. He said, ‘Why do you confuse the issue? Why do you talk without knowing what you’re talking about? Pull yourself together, Job! Up on your feet! Stand tall! I have some questions for you, and I want some straight answers.”
Uh oh, I thought.
And God continued to ask Job,
“Where were you when I created the earth? Tell me since you know so much! Who decided on its size? Certainly you’ll know that. What came up with blueprints and measurements? How was the foundation poured and who set the cornerstone…and who took charge of the ocean when it gushed forth like a baby from the womb?….And have you ordered Morning, ‘Get up!’ told Dawn, ‘Get to work?’
I’m sure that you know how that continues, and if you don’t, then it is a must read. Or maybe it would be refreshing to read it again if it has been a while. It has quite a way of putting things in perspective, or at least it did for me in that moment.
However, though God is sovereign, and He is love, it is a frustrating, and sometimes excruciating place to be when we encounter God’s silence. You too, may have been asking for an answer, and you’re just not hearing anything.
But if we’re encountering silence with God, there is a reason for it. It’s not that we’re unworthy, or that God doesn’t care or isn’t able.
So, why don’t we hear from God?
1. We WANT to WANT to hear His answer, but we don’t really want to hear it.
Often, though we earnestly pray, and we are convinced we want to hear God’s answer, do we really? In those moments, it is important to ask ourselves, ‘Do I really want to know God’s answer? Really? Am I truly open to hearing it? Or do I want to hear only what I want to hear?’ We want what we want. We want our picture rather than God’s way. If this is the case, it’s okay for you to admit to Him that you WANT to WANT His answer, and ask Him to help you WANT His Answer. He will get you there.
2. He’s already told us.
Maybe you can’t hear Him because He’s already told you the answer, and you haven’t been willing or obedient. He’s not going to tell us something else if we haven’t taken to heart what He’s already told us. Sometimes, people think they can’t hear from God anymore, but there are things that God has already told them that they haven’t responded to or been willing to obey yet. Why would He tell us something different than He’s already told us?
3. We are in disobedience.
Sometimes, when we are unwilling to hear or obey God in one area, it may render us unable or unwilling to hear in other areas. Search your heart and ask God to brings things to mind where you are disobedient. Then simply, ask for His forgiveness. If you’re not ready to repent, then ask, ‘Lord, make me willing where I’m not willing.’
4. Recognize that the silence of God can be intimate.
According to Oswald Chambers in My Utmost For His Highest, “When you cannot hear God, you will find that He has trusted you in the most intimate way possible – with absolute silence, not a silence of despair, but one of pleasure, because He saw that you could withstand an even bigger revelation.” In the case of Job, God’s silence was a result of the trust in their relationship. When Satan approached God, in trust, God chose Job. And He may be trusting you by calling you into a deeper place of intimacy with Him.
Whatever, the reason we aren’t hearing, God’s silence doesn’t entitle us to turn our hearts away from Him. Instead, God’s silence beckons us to come closer to His Heart and trust Him more deeply.
As I sat there quietly and humbly (at this point) on my deck, and I was reminded about God’s Sovereignty, and His deep intimate love for me, I heard Him say, “Will you just trust me? Come away with me, and let me show you who I really am.”
God speaks to us when our hearts are fully open and willing.