Deafening Silence

We talked yesterday about following God’s direction. That is an exciting
prospect, but it leaves an important question. What do we do when God seems
silent? It is going to happen. You are going to pray and sometimes God will seem
to be strangely distant and quiet. When He does not seem to answer, what do we
do?

Read 2 Corinthians 5:6-9. Look for an answer.

When God seems silent, we are called to go forward in faith. We are to
continue to do the things that please God. We may become frustrated with God’s
seeming silence, but we do not turn our backs on Him. Look at verse six. We are
“confident” that God is working things out for us. He is answering us, but we
cannot see the answer yet. Why can’t we see the answer?

There are several reasons why God’s answer may be hard to see. First, the
answer could be NO. Why does God say NO to prayers? Sometimes we ask for the
wrong things or for things that could hurt us. (Ever been glad that God did not
give you the date of your dreams because you found our later he or she would
have been the date of your nightmares?) Sometimes we don’t get what we pray for
because we are asking for selfish things. Sometimes giving us what we want is
just not in God’s plan for our lives. Sometimes God has something better.
Sometimes God is planning to walk with us through a season or hardship, or
grief, or need. There is so much that we do not understand of God and God’s
plan, but we know that He loves us so we learn to trust Him in the silence.

Second, there could be sin in our lives that is preventing us from
understanding God’s answer. When God seems silent, it is good to take an
inventory of our lives. Are we involved in things that are hurting our
conversation with God? This is once again where having an accountability partner
is a big help. We need someone to help us evaluate and redirect our lives. (Are
you tired of hearing about this yet? You should have someone by now!)

Third, the answer could be coming, but in God’s time not ours. God is not a
vending machine. He acts in His own time and His own way. But He also acts for
our best interests. Don’t believe me? Read Romans 8:28.

Take a few minutes to pray today. Thank God for having your best interests at
heart. Thank Him for answering prayer. Ask Him to help you to focus on pleasing
Him, even when you don’t get immediate answers to your prayers..

Remember, we are memorizing Luke 9:23.