"What To Do When God Is Silent" - Inspirational Weekend

In my previous post about "Listening To God",  I wrote that silence from God is often because we have sin in our lives that needs to be confessed and repented of in order to have fellowship with God and to "hear" Him speak to us.  And that is very true.   But there are other reasons why the Lord may remain silent for a time.   Tuesday of this week I read a daily devotion by Oswald Chambers about God's remaining quiet for a season.  Following is a quote from a portion of Chambers' "My Utmost For His Highest" devotion:

"Has God trusted you with a silence - a silence that is big with meaning?  God's silences are His answers.   .............His silence is the sign that He is bringing you into a marvelous understanding of Himself.  Are you mourning before God because you have not had an audible response?  You will find that God has trusted you in the most intimate way possible, with an absolute silence, not of despair, but of pleasure, because He saw that you could stand a bigger revelation.  If God has given you a silence, praise Him; He is bringing you into the great run of His purposes.  The manifestation of the answer in time is a matter of God's sovereignty.    ........If Jesus Christ is bringing you into the understanding that prayer is for the glorifying of His Father, He will give you the first sign of His intimacy - silence."

The LORD is teaching us many things by His silence.  Also, His silence can create in us a hunger for Him.   Between the end of the Old Testament and the beginning of the New Testament of the Bible there was approximately 400 years of silence.....there was no prophet of God in that time.  Something to think about when you are concerned about God's temporary silence with you.   As Dr. Charles Stanley says, "Silent times are often God's preparation for something else."   

Following is a sermon by Dr. Stanley on the subject of when God is silent:

In this excellent sermon, Dr. Charles Stanley mentions seven reasons for God's silence; eight reasons for the various ways we often respond  (discouragement and doubt, to mention two); and then he gives seven reasons of how we should respond, one of which is that we should "respect the right of God to be silent."   Dr. Stanley says, "What God is after is love and intimacy and obedience."

Just a reminder, we cannot complain about God being silent if our Bibles are always closed.  As mentioned previously, God speaks to us through His Holy Word by the Holy Spirit.  It is our spiritual food without which we cannot grow to maturity in our Christian walk. Read and memorize Scripture and let the words sink deep within you, down deep in your heart and very soul.  Scripture can be like seeds that grow into deep faith and commitment to the Lord.  Faith is also believing God is present when all we hear is silence.

"Study to show thyself approved unto God, a worker that need not be ashamed, rightly dividing the Word of truth."  -  2 Timothy 2:15

"Keep not Thou silence, O God: Hold not Thy peace, and be not still, O God."  -  Psalm 83:1

"The door of the Word only opens to the key of diligence.  The Scriptures claim searching."  -

Charles H. Spurgeon 

Don't let God's silence make you believe that He has totally forsaken you, maybe even forever.  If you are a true believer, He will never forsake you as Hebrews 13:5b tells us: "For He hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee."   

I hope this information will help you when God is quiet and not speaking to you.   But if you will open your Bible and read, and pray, and continue with perseverance, there will be a breakthrough eventually where you will once more hear from the heavenly Father.  

Below is a soothing video to brighten your happy weekend.  

Silence speaks when words can't.  

"And when He had opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven about the space of half an hour. "  -  Revelation 8:1