When God Feels Silent
Have you ever felt like you're praying into a void? You cry out to God, begging for wisdom, direction, comfort—for anything—and all you get in return is silence. The heavens feel like brass. Your prayers seem to bounce off the ceiling and fall flat at your feet. You wonder if God has forgotten you, if He's too busy dealing with someone else's crisis, or worse yet, if He simply doesn't care.
If you're nodding your head right now, friend, I understand. I've been there. In fact, I've been there more times than I'd like to admit. There are seasons when God's voice seems so clear that I can almost audibly hear Him speaking to my heart. And then there are those dry, difficult seasons when it feels like He's packed His bags and moved to another galaxy entirely.
But here's what I'm learning: God's silence doesn't equal God's absence.
Let me say that again because it's important. God's silence doesn't equal God's absence.
Think about the story of Lazarus. Mary and Martha sent word to Jesus that their brother was sick. They knew Jesus could heal him. They had seen Him perform miracles. They believed in Him. But what did Jesus do? He stayed where He was for two more days. Two whole days! And by the time He finally arrived, Lazarus had been dead for four days. Can you imagine the pain and confusion Mary and Martha must have felt? Where was Jesus when they needed Him most? Why didn't He come when they called?
But here's the beautiful truth: Jesus wasn't ignoring them. He wasn't too busy. He wasn't being cruel. He was working on something far greater than they could have imagined. He was about to raise Lazarus from the dead, not just to heal a sick man, but to display the glory of God in a way that would forever change the lives of everyone who witnessed it.
The same is true for us. When God feels silent, it doesn't mean He's stopped working. It simply means that we can't see what He's doing behind the scenes. We're limited by our human perspective, but God sees the whole picture. He knows the end from the beginning. He's orchestrating circumstances, preparing hearts, and positioning people in ways we cannot comprehend.
Isaiah 55:8-9 reminds us, "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts."
In those dry seasons when God feels silent, we must choose to trust Him anyway. We must hold tight to what we know to be true, even when our feelings scream otherwise. We know that God is faithful. We know that He loves us. We know that He has promised never to leave us nor forsake us. These truths don't change just because we can't feel His presence at the moment.
So, what do we do when God feels silent? We keep praying. We keep seeking. We keep trusting. We refuse to give up, even when the journey feels impossible. And most importantly, we remember that silence is not rejection. God is still God, even when we can't hear His voice. He's still working, even when we can't see His hand. And one day, when we look back on this season, we'll see His fingerprints all over it.
Hang in there, friend. The silence won't last forever. And when God finally speaks, you'll discover that He was working all along.
"Be still, and know that I am God." - Psalm 46:10