When God Seems Silent

Seasoned moms know our kids’ silence can be a cause for concern.  Noise provides clues about what, where, and with whom they’re playing, so when things go quiet, we must investigate.  It’s quite possible they fell into mischief rather than they fell asleep.  Silence does not mean inactivity. 

When my brothers and I were young, our parents attended many Christian conferences, during which we would roam the grounds with other kids and entertain ourselves (yes, it was a different time).  We usually played games of chase or hide and go seek, but on one occasion we discovered a piano with a can of white paint next to it.  I have no idea what possessed us, but we painted the entire piano white while our parents met with other adult believers in a separate room.  Our guilt was obvious when we walked into their room covered in white paint. We’d been beyond their earshot so they couldn’t hear us – but we’d clearly been up to something.

In a similar way, when God is silent, it does not mean He has stopped working on our behalf. 

Many times, I’ve heard God’s voice through His Word, another believer, or the Holy Spirit.  But there have also been many times when God has seemed eerily quiet.  Like when my circumstances aren’t changing the way I’ve cried and prayed they would.  Or when I’ve asked Him for direction yet remain unsure of my path.  When He is silent, it’s vital to remind myself that He is at work according to His will and for His glory. Silence does not mean inactivity. 

I often think about the four hundred years of silence between the Old and New Testaments, between the words of promise spoken through Malachi and God confirming the fulfillment of that promise to Zechariah, John the Baptist’s father.  That was a long time for His people to go without hearing from Him. During the previous thousand years, He had been leading, guiding, and warning them through the Torah and the prophets.  Then they heard nothing – for four hundred years.

I believe that during this time some people grew more and more hungry for a word from God – perhaps they were among the first to respond John the Baptist’s call to repentance before Jesus appeared on the scene.  But others grew more and more hungry for control, like the Pharisees and scribes who should have recognized the fulfillment of prophecies but rejected the very God they claimed to serve. 

When God seems silent, it’s natural for me to focus on what I can do or control. But I need to remember He is still in control, and He is still working (John 5:17).

I want to be faithful while waiting.  Clinging to and meditating on His written Word, doing what He has called me to do, and continuing to commune with Him through prayer.  Knowing that I am heard.  Knowing that I am loved.  And knowing that His silence does not mean inactivity.  He is always working.