When God is Silent

We have all experienced times when we pray and God doesn’t seem to respond. David expressed that frustration in the Psalms, asking God why He wasn’t answering, why He was silent (e.g. Ps. 10:1). But it is God’s prerogative to speak or be silent when He chooses. There are also times when God asks us to be silent: “Be still, and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10, NIV).

When God doesn’t seem to answer, it does not mean that He has left us or that He doesn’t care. We need silence; it brings us to where we can think quietly. Our lives are not really about efficiency and goals reached.

Life is about our relationship with God and out of that we gain His perspective on things and learn what He wants for all men. Prayer is not about what we can get from God. Instead, prayer begins with worshipping God and delighting in Him. If we don’t begin there, God becomes just a vending machine or an ambulance when we find ourselves in a tight spot.

Many Christians find God again when He is silent. Often, He just wants us to be content with who He is. But for the surrendered Christian, life is more than just being happy and successful. It’s about living a holy lifestyle that gives glory to God.

When we don’t sense God answering our prayers, it is not because He doesn’t have an answer, or that He is angry or His grace has reached its limit. Neither has He been caught unawares or at a loss to know what to do. When God is silent, we have an opportunity to think over what we ask Him. What is really on our hearts? In the silence, we may realize our requests are inappropriate or come from selfish motives. We may even realize that were God to actually give us what we asked, it would bring us and maybe others harm.

Abraham was promised many descendants. But he couldn’t see God fulfilling that promise. So he listened to Sarah and tried to fulfill the promise on his own. We are still feeling the effects of that decision today. Our biggest challenge when God is silent or seems to delay answering is to not make our own plans.

Saul did not wait for Samuel at Gilgal but offered the sacrifice himself, which only Samuel could do. His troops were leaving him, so fear caused Saul to make his own plans. Failing to wait on God cost Saul the kingdom God had given him. Saul was hindering God’s work (1 Samuel 13:7–14).

When God is silent, remember:

• Don’t make your own plans; wait. Stay where you are.
• Ask yourself if what you have asked God for is really important. Will it bless you and others if He grants it?
• Remind yourself that God will surely answer in His timing.
• Do what is clearly in God’s Word as well as what God has told you to do before.
• Keep reading the Word. Don’t run to others to get a prophetic word or revelation. If God gives that, fine, but we should still test it. Testing a word or revelation doesn’t mean that you don’t believe it; instead it helps you to be sure that you have heard and understood God correctly.
• Remember that God is our Father, and He will take care of us. We are not His children for what we can get from Him, but for who He is. Allow God to give you a deeper understanding of Himself.

Let’s stand before God in hope and faith, knowing that He hears us and will answer our prayers. His silence doesn’t mean that He won’t answer. Instead, it means that He is busy working out the answers so that they will bless others, the Kingdom and us.

May His silence draw us closer to Him.