What do I do when God is silent?
I cried out to God for help; I cried out to God to hear me...Has His unfailing love vanished forever? Has His promise failed for all time? Has God forgotten to be merciful? Has He in anger withheld His compassion?" (Psalm 77:1, 8-9)

We are not accustomed to silence. The noises of traffic, cell phones, and television are the soundtrack to our days, and even in quiet moments at home the constant hum of electricity accompanies us. We don't know what to do in silence.

When that silence comes from the One we are told is always with us, always loving us, always caring for us, that silence is even harder to take. It is not logical to us that One who loves us wouldn't answer us when we are most in need of comfort. It makes no sense to us that One who cares would leave us alone in times of despair. If a human friend were to respond in that way, we would surely question that friend's loyalty. "A friend," we reason, "would be there. A friend would come when I call."
Perhaps, though, therein lies our error. Is God our friend, and nothing more?
The Psalm writer cries out in his agony. He questions the Lord's motives, suggesting that He forgot to be merciful, or that He withholds His care in a fit of humanlike anger. The psalmist questions and cries and screams in bewilderment....but then he remembers who he is talking about.

"I will remember the deeds of the Lord; yes, I will remember your miracles of long ago...What god is so great as our God?" (Psalm 77:10-11, 13)

Despite his agony, he remembers who God is. He remembers that He is "the God who performs miracles," displaying His power among His people (14). He remembers that God is not merely a friend. God leads His people through seas and mighty waters as a shepherd leads his flock. His miracles are beyond our comprehension; why, then, should we expect to understand why He works the way He does? Why should we be able to grasp what He is doing when He seems absent?

God, when I think you're absent, please help me to remember who You are. Help me to remember what I know is true about You, and let me not quickly abandon that truth. Grow my faith in Your times of silence, and help me to remember that You're in control. Amen.

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What do I do when God is silent?
What is a person to do when hard times hit and prayers are not answered; or at least not answered in the way that we think they should.

As a former crisis negotiator, I learned that listening is an important trait. If negotiator talks too much, important information may be missed. In much the same way, if we continually ask God for things and don't take a step back and wait, we may miss important information. In negotiations, we don't get the answers that we want, at least right away, and unfortunately, sometimes never. A negotiator must learn to be patient and decipher information that is coming in. We must also learn to be patient and learn to decipher God's plan. It is not an easy task.

Recently, I prayed and asked God to give me direction for my professional life. I was a nervous wreck as I pondered a career change after over two decades of the same job. After months and months of praying and questioning God, He gave me the peace of mind to make a decision that has led me in a direction that I had never dreamed of. Fortunately, my faith has not been questioned like Job's was; but hopefully the small tests will have prepared me when more serious challenges arise.

I have learned that just because things don't happen on our timetable, it doesn't mean that God is not listening or working in our lives. In the past few years, I have been reminded of Psalm 46:10, "Be still, and know that I am God..." I have learned that I must be patient and learn that God is in control. Although my struggles have not been as difficult as others, they have still been stressful. I have had to put my faith in God and know that he has a plan for me.

If we pray and if we are patient, God will move and he will reveal Himself and His plan for us. It may not happen overnight, but it will happen eventually. Sometimes, God leads us in directions that we would have never imagined, and, in the case of my life, I have seen him take seemingly bad situations and turn them into good.

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What do I do when God is silent?
After reading about Job, I realized that Job went through several stages in his suffering. These same stages are taught in psychology: denial, anger, sadness, and acceptance. I don't recall any psychology textbook attributing Job as the 1st example of this phenomenon. I also learned that when Job finally stopped talking and actually listened, he finally got an answer from God. That seems so simple, yet for me, it was profound because I realized it is something I don't do. I ask God for guidance, protection, and the winning numbers for the lottery, but I never bother to listen for an answer.

Job 42:1-3 Then Job replied to the Lord: "I know that you can do all things; no plans of yours can be thwarted. You asked, 'Who is this that obscures my counsel without knowledge?' Surly I spoke of things I did not understand, things too wonderful for me to know."
When God does speak, Job realizes his mistake: he was trying to humanize God--something we all do. It is scary, upsetting, baffling to us that we can't explain or understand everything in our lives. We cannot accept the complexities and mysteries of life. We think God should answer to us, how dare God not give us what we want? How dare He not seem fair? But God puts Job and us in our places in Job 38:
Then the Lord answered Job. He said, "Where were you when I laid the earth's foundation? Tell me, if you understand. Who marked off its dimensions? Have you ever given orders to the morning, or shown the dawn its place? Can you bring forth the constellations in their seasons? Do you send the lightning bolts on their way? Do they report to you?"

So, after reading about Job, the question for me is not necessarily, "What do I do when God is Silent?"
The question for me is, "Is God trying to tell me something, but I won't stop talking to hear it?"

And, if I ever learn how to send lightning bolts on their way, then you can ask me for the winning lottery numbers.

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What do I do when God is silent?
So many times we ask ourselves, "Why is God being silent?" The true question is. "Are we still enough to hear him? Is he giving us the answer we want to here?"
 
Last week when John spoke of Job's friends being silent, it made a difference in my own thinking patterns of how I approach those in crises. There is never a time when I don't think I can't help fix someone's problem .Many of us feel the best thing is to talk it out, right? Not always. Sometimes they just need you to listen. Same with God....First we freak out when our answer doesn't come quick enough or not in the way we want it answered. To better our human relationships, we need to better our relationship with God. That means being still and listening! The way God would have it.
 
1 Peter 2:21 "For God called you to do good, even if it means suffering, just as Christ suffered for you. He is your example, and you must follow in his steps."  

Being silent isn't just a physical act; your mind has to be involved also. I once had a book called The Art of Doing Nothing, the fact that someone could make money off so many people's favorite past time. It was about getting both systems--mind & body--on the same level: nothing! God wants us in sync: our mind, body, and soul. In order to do this, we have to give it to God and be still. The Bible is packed with verses that proclaim that He will never leave us or forsake us. It is our responsibility to confirm our faith on a daily basis. It took God six years for Him to answer one of my many prayers. So many nights I would wonder why not yet? Where is my neon sign? When is it my turn? My life has been a work in progress during those past six years, waiting for my answer! God stopped being silent and I became stronger in Him. Was my answer there all along? Was it what I wanted to hear? Yes.
God is good--good all the time. He answers in His time.
Think back to your last answered prayer: What did you learn, whose life did you touch?
God says, "Keep silent and I will teach you wisdom."
                                                                                                                           Blessings
 

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What do I do when God is silent?
This song is the 1st thing that came to my mind as we began our discussion of Job.
I played this song frequently when I felt God was silent in my life.

Bring on the Rain (written by Billy Montana/Helen Darling)

Another day has almost come and gone
Can't imagine what else could go wrong
Sometimes I'd like to hide away somewhere and lock the door
A single battle lost but not the war

'Cause tomorrow's another day
And I'm thirsty anyway
So bring on the rain

It's almost like the hard times circle 'round
A couple drops and they all start coming down
Yeah, I might feel defeated.
I might hang my head
I might be barely breathing - but I'm not dead, no

'Cause tomorrow's another day
And I'm thirsty anyway
So bring on the rain

I'm not gonna let it get me down
I'm not gonna cry
And I'm not gonna lose any sleep tonight

'Cause tomorrow's another day
And I' thirsty anyway
So bring on the rain

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