What happens when we spend time praying and listening out for God’s voice, yet the only response received is the sound of silence? When we don’t even dare hope for the thunder of His majestic voice, but even the still small voice eludes us. No pictures, no voice, no words of knowledge, no dreams, no visions, nothing. Just deafening silence. Understandably, in a sense, God is always speaking to us through His written Word. However sometimes we want some more detail, or we want guidance on something that is not clearly laid out in the Scriptures.

So, why will God be silent when He can hear us crying out to Him day in day out? When He sees us on our knees listening out for Him? To help answer that, we can look at other times when God has been silent. One of the longest periods of God’s silence is a period referred to as the 400 silent years, between the era of Prophet Malachi and the coming of The Messiah. During that period, no new prophets were raised, there were no new prophecies, and the Jews had to deal with God’s silence. I don’t know about you, but 400 years is a long time to wait for something. However, as Jocelyn Soriano notes “God’s silence is as full of love as His replies.” In this instance, God was silent, but He certainly wasn’t idle.

God can be working on other factors external to us that are needed for His plan to come to pass. Like a puzzle, there will be other parts that need to come together, not just our own piece. Zechariah and Elizabeth needed to wait to have their child. Why? John needed to be born at a certain time to be the forerunner of The Messiah. Not only that, there were other factors being put in place to make the spread of the Gospel much more effective, such as the Greek language becoming more commonly used, thus enhancing communication across nations; the construction of roads and road networks by the Romans, which eased travel. It was certainly a season of ‘less talk, more action’. This can be the case for us. If it is, God will want us to trust His timing and His silence.

God can be silent because He is working on us. Like a potter moulds clay, He sculpts us, working in silence, with intense concentration, ensuring that every corner, every curve is just right. God knows what He is doing. Trust Him. Sometimes, as difficult as it may be to admit and accept, we may not yet be in a place where we are ready to hear God’s will or to go where He has prepared for us. As such, God needs to prepare us, to train us. Just as eating food that is too hot can burn one’s mouth, not being ready for, and rushing ahead of what God wants us to do can end up destroying us. The spotlight can raze us if we don’t have the capacity for it. Not just capacity in terms of ability and fortitude, but character capacity, moral capacity, capacity to deal with “the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life” (1 John 2:16). A look at the lives of some celebrities who were exposed to the spotlight early, and the impact it had on them, sadly illustrates this point. I remember feeling strongly at a time that God wanted me to deal with a particular character flaw. I am honestly so glad that God is gracious and kind enough to give me the grace to deal with it in my current stage of life, rather than it causing me considerable problems later in life. Furthermore, God knows the skills, the experiences and all we need for where He is taking us to. As James 1:4 encourages, “But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing” (KJV).

Sometimes God’s silence can also mean we should keep going on the current path we are on at the moment. I remember listening to an illustration regarding this which I found helpful. It was regarding the way navigation systems work. They are quiet when you are going on the right path, along a long stretch of road where you don’t need to make any turns. You may even think the navigation system is malfunctioning at that point because the voice is silent. However, as time goes on, when you get to a point where a turn is necessary, or if you have missed your way, then it automatically speaks up to direct or re-route you.

On the flip side, having a conscience seared with a hot iron can mean that we don’t even hear God’s voice anymore and thus assume He is silent, so this is one that needs discernment. If unsure, the prayer David prayed in Psalm 139:23-24 is a good place to start: “Search me, O God, and know my heart. Try me and know my thoughts. See if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!” (ESV). 1 Peter 5:8 cautions us to “be sober, be vigilant.” A radio station can be transmitting a message, but if we are not tuned in, we won’t hear it. We need to have a tender conscience and be tuned in to God’s Spirit to hear His voice.

God can be seemingly silent when He is giving someone time to repent and turn from their wicked ways. When the Israelites were enslaved by the Egyptians, God gave Pharoah multiple chances to do the right thing. But Pharoah hardened his heart. There is a brilliant expose on this from The Bible Project which you can read about here. Eventually God decided that enough was enough, and we know the story as told in the book of Exodus. Another example may be that of Eli. 1 Samuel 3:1b records that “in those days messages from the LORD were very rare, and visions were quite uncommon.” It is recorded that Eli’s sons were wicked, disobedient and blasphemous, and Eli hadn’t disciplined them, despite warnings from God (1 Samuel 2:12-36; 3:11-14). God is a God of mercy, but He is also a God of justice. 2 Peter 3:9 says “The Lord isn’t really being slow about his promise, as some people think. No, he is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent.” May God grant us discerning hearts and wisdom.

Having reflected on why God may be silent, the question is then ‘how do we respond?’ The answer is Word, Worship, Prayer. As outlined, there are a variety of reasons why God may be silent, but these three cover all bases and all reasons.

The Word: We can focus on what God has already said in His written Word, the Bible. Imagine you write a letter to someone with instructions on what to do. Then they call you and ask you what to do next. You ask “have you followed the instructions in the letter?” They say “not yet”, but give me more instructions, tell me what to do next. You state that they should follow the instructions in your letter first, and come back when they have done so. But they continue asking you what to do next, without obeying the first set of instructions. What will you do? Keep responding or wait till the penny drops for them? If we aren’t doing what God has already commanded in His Word, then will we honestly respond to more guidance on His will for our lives, to His direction on next steps to take? In the example of The Silent Years, God had already previously told the Israelites about His plans through various prophets, so He adjudged that to be sufficient for them. Sadly they didn’t always listen to the prophets anyway, so would it have been worth sending more?

Another example is in Mark 14:60-65, when Jesus was before the council just before His crucifixion. When the high priest asked Him to respond to the charges against Him, He kept quiet. When asked if He was The Messiah, he responded “I am. And you will see the Son of Man seated in the place of power at God’s right hand and coming on the clouds of Heaven” (v. 62). Did they believe Him? No, instead they accused Him of blasphemy. However shortly after, what did they say? “Prophesy to us” (v. 65). He had literally just prophesied and they didn’t believe Him, so why were they asking? Out of mockery. And that is how it is when we ask God to speak, yet ignore what He has previously said. We are in a sense making mockery of His holy Word.

As such, even in the silence, we should continue living out God’s word, acting out His will. As long as we love God and are called according to His purpose, we can rest assured, calmly and also fiercely convinced that ALL things (all, not some), will work together for our good (Romans 8:28). How do we know and show that we love God? As Jesus said in John 14:15 (NLT), “If you love me, obey my commandments.” It may be tempting to say, ‘I’ve done all that, I’ve followed God’s way and He has abandoned me, so what’s the point?’ Remember Joseph. Despite how he may have felt about his seemingly unfair circumstances, in Genesis 39:9b (ESV), he says “How then can I do this great wickedness and sin against God?” He went on to do the right thing, resisting temptation from Potiphar’s wife.

We can keep showing love to others as God instructs (1 John 4:7-8). Joseph helped the chief cupbearer, and that seed of kindness was instrumental in him reaping a giant harvest later. Yes it took a while, but sometimes plenteous harvests can require plenteous waiting too. In Acts 9:36-42, we read the example of Dorcas, who brilliantly and practically expressed God’s love to so many. Her acts of love paved the way for her healing and being restored to life. I don’t think Dorcas did her good deeds because she was expecting a miracle, and neither should we. It should be an expression of love as commanded by God, no strings attached.

It may be tempting to neglect church, but as Hebrews 10:25 notes, let us not forsake the gathering of believers but encourage each other. God has instructed us to do so, and it is a blessing to come together to worship God, pray and listen to His Word (Acts 2:42-47). At the end of the day, we are still a body, The Body of Christ. Furthermore, God can speak through other people in our church community, and during such gatherings (Acts 13:1-3).

Prayer: When we pray, we can remind God of His promises as outlined in His word and spoken by His prophets. It is not that He forgets, it is more that we put His word in front of Him. For want of a better illustration, imagine having a boss in your office and you want to remind them of something they promised to do. So you put a neon post-it note with a reminder message on top a stack of files they have to attend to. In Exodus 2:23-25, the Israelites cried out to God for help, and He remembered His covenant with their forefathers. In Daniel 9, Daniel searched the scriptures and found out what God had said in the past. This informed his next actions – praying and fasting, repenting and asking God for mercy, and reminding God of His promises. Following that, God sent Angel Gabriel to give Daniel further understanding. In other words, He was no longer silent! Job was another person that experienced God’s silence. “I cry out to you, God, but you do not answer; I stand up, but you merely look at me” were his words of anguish (Job 30:20-30). But as he persisted in prayer, and outlined how he had already followed God’s word (Job 31), God finally responded to him (Job 38-42).

Hannah also experienced a long season of an unanswered prayer, garnished with mockery from Peninnah (1 Samuel 1). How did Hannah react? Verses 9 -10 record that she “got up and went to pray… in deep anguish, crying bitterly as she prayed to the Lord”. It is interesting that even before the physical manifestation of the answer to her prayer, once Eli the Priest agreed with her in prayer, she was no longer sad (v. 18), and the entire family “went to worship the Lord once more” (v. 19, NLT). She received the answer to her prayer shortly after, her son Samuel, who became one of the most influential and powerful figures in the Old Testament. On the other hand, not much is said about Peninnah’s children, not even their names are recorded. It is an important lesson to note, that even as we pray, kindness is key. If unsure of how to pray, a prayer for mercy is always a good place to start. As Nathaniel Bassey notes, “when you’re right, ask for God’s mercy; when you’re wrong, ask for God’s mercy, when you’re unsure, ask for God’s mercy.” No matter what, as Luke 18:1 reminds us, we should always pray and never give up.

Worship and Praise: Hannah’s story also leads us to the next point – praise and worship. In Matthew 15:21-28, there is a record of a Canaanite woman approaching Jesus to ask for deliverance for her daughter. “But Jesus answered her not a word.” Ouch. Does she turn around and go ‘Oh, well, I tried, He didn’t even dignify my request with a no, how awful’. No. What she does next is inspirational. She continues to cry after Jesus and His disciples until He finally answers her, only to tell her He was sent “to help God’s lost sheep – the people of Israel”. It was not yet time for Him to minister to the Gentiles. If you understand the culture and cultural tensions of that time, you will realise why Jesus had to take this approach, it was not out of meanness. In a way, it reminds me of the answer that He gave to His mother Mary, ‘it is not yet my time’. However, like Mary, the Canaanite woman pressed on with dogged determination. She was persistent. She did not take offence at what He said, even though it may have stung. Instead, what did she do? Verse 25 (NLT) records that “but she came and worshipped Him, pleading again, “Lord, help me!”” She worshipped Him on her knees. She responded to His points raised with an appeal to His merciful nature. Yes, He may have been within His rights to ignore her, but ultimately God is a merciful God. Hosea 6:6 reminds us that God desires mercy more than sacrifice, a scripture Jesus Himself quoted in Matthew 9:13. Jesus also called mercy, faith and judgement the “weightier matters of the law” (Matthew 23:23). And you know what? Jesus finally had to acknowledge her faith in Him, in His mercy, in His ability to heal. He even commended her for it, and healed her daughter immediately (verse 28).

David was another person who struggled with God’s silence. Psalms 13 and 22 are two examples of his pain and anguish at God’s seeming silence, forgetfulness and abandonment. However, it is insightful to note how these Psalms end. Yes David honestly pours out his heart to God, as should we, but He praises and rejoices in God at the end. Psalm 13:5-6 (NLT) says “But I will trust in your unfailing love. I will rejoice because You have rescued me. I will sing to the Lord because He is good to me.” Psalm 42 is another beautiful Psalm with a similar theme, and in verse 11, the final verse, it notes, “Why am I discouraged? Why is my heart so sad? I will put my hope in God! I will praise him again— my Saviour and my God!” (NLT).

We can praise God because of who He is, and as earlier noted, because we have the confidence that all things work together for good to them that love God. Will we be tempted to complain? Yes. But we can defeat that temptation with gratitude – thanking God for who He is, for what He has done, for what He is currently doing even though we may not see it, and for what He has promised He will do. Will doubts creep up? Yes. But we can defeat that temptation with the word of God – hidden in our hearts and spoken from our mouths.

We can also worship God by surrounding ourselves with God’s beauty in nature. This will help to remind us of the beautiful world God created, to savour His grand design and remind us of His existence, awesomeness, everlasting power, majesty, His workmanship which showcases His creative ability. As Romans 1:20 says, “For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see his invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God.” If God cares so wonderfully for fleeting lilies and wildflowers, will He not certainly care for us, His beloved children? (Matthew 6:26-30). If God can create majestic mountains and wondrous waterfalls, can He not create a new body part which we may need? Indeed He can! Our faith can also be built up by hearing people’s testimonies of God’s handiwork in their lives. This is why sharing and listening to testimonies can be so vital. God’s creation and His work in people’s lives can stir up a desire to praise God even when circumstances try to dictate otherwise.

I pray that in seasons of silence, we will not give up listening out for God’s voice, just like the Father did not give up looking out for the prodigal son’s return. May we remain prayerful and vigilant, so that in our vulnerable state, the evil one and his agents do not take advantage of us. May we receive grace to act as directed when God does speak. I pray that in all things we will remember that God is still God, irrespective of whether His voice thunders, whispers or is silent. He is the same omniscient, omnipotent, omnipresent, loving, merciful, mighty, faithful God we know and serve.

Image source here.