(Photo credit: uıɐɾ ʞ ʇɐɯɐs)
Have you ever experienced the silence of God?
It happens. We pray, we talk to God, we cry out to Him, and there is no response. The heavens are quiet and still. It seems our petitions never make it past our own atmosphere.
Is God ignoring us? Is He giving us the silent treatment? In our greatest time of need, is He too busy to respond to our pleas for help?
Our questions are nothing new. David struggled with this too. Over and over again. O God, where are you? Why won’t you answer me? Do you even hear my cries? Where is your voice? Where are the answers? The words of comfort? Why have you forsaken me?
Admittedly, God’s silence is often a fearful thing, frustrating, even maddening.
So are we alone when He is silent? Has He abandoned us when we need Him most?
No. Here’s what I think. A few years back my oldest daughter, in third grade at the time, got an MP3 player for Christmas. Now, she was in third grade,mind you, and we weren’t going to pay a lot for that kind of technology so she got a Disney model that did the job just fine, and she was thrilled with it. When she returned to school she was so excited to tell her friends about her new gadget. When I got home from work I asked her how her day at school was and she started crying. The other girls laughed at her Disney MP3 player because they had all gotten iPods. My heart broke for her broken heart. (Even now, five years later, my throat gets tight and tears push on my eyes).
Do you know what I did? I tried offering words of comfort, tried telling her it didn’t matter what the other girls thought, tried saying the right things to take away her pain . . . but words didn’t help. She didn’t need words. She needed her daddy to just hold her.
And that’s what I did. I kept my mouth shut and just held her.
Folks, when God is silent, He hasn’t left us alone to struggle through our trial. When no words come, I believe that’s when He’s simply holding us close and protecting us with His love. Words aren’t necessary, only His presence.
“Be still and know that I am God.”
Honestly, never though of it that way. Thanx for the insight Mike
Amen! Great post!
I never thought of it that way either. I thought he’s testing us, whether we’ll be faithful in His silence or we have sin in our lives that hinder our relationship with Him.
So glad to have you back!!!
Mike, I seem to be experiencing it all the time. For years even. Problems with our sons, now grown and in their 40′s, problems with only grandchild, 13 plus. Many from her, so many I dont sleep, I pray, I cry, and am heartsick. It does seem like no one is listening.
Pat, unfortunately, heartache and pain is part of this cursed world we live in. God does hear you; He is listening. More than the circumstances you find yourself and your loved ones in, though, He wants YOU. He wants a real relationship with you. Keep crying out to Him, keep praying, and then just give the situation, your loved ones, and yourself to Him.
Thanks, MIke. He has been holding me a lot lately.
This is something I definitely needed to hear! I’ve had the hardest time lately and felt like I haven’t heard from God in years. And you know what He’s done that I still haven’t figured out? Somehow I’ve ended up leading a women’s Bible study on hearing from God! I’m still not sure how it happened or why I’m the one leading it, but all I can do is trust that God knows what He’s doing.
It is so good to have you back, Mike!!
Melin, sometimes I, too, wonder in amazement that God knows what He’s doing and then I stop and say, “Wait, He’s God. Of course He knows what He’s doing!” So many times I find myself praying that prayer, “Lord, I believe, help my unbelief.”
Beautiful words, Mike. It’s it amazing that God never lets us go, He’s always holding us. “Be still… is one of my fave verses”. I recently learnt that “Be still” in Hebrew means “let go”. I like thinking of it as letting go so we can better appreciate His presence.
Excellent, Ian. Thanks for sharing that.
I wish I could tell you how much my heart rejoices at reading one of your posts again. Simply said, Thank You.