When God seems silent
Do not keep silent, O God! Do not hold Your peace, and do not be still, O God! ~ Psalms 83:1
When God seems silent, it can be one of the hardest things to endure. The psalmist’s cry in Psalms 83:1 spoke what many of us feel in those moments: “Do not keep silent, O God! Do not hold Your peace, and do not be still, O God!”
I’ve had seasons in my life where I felt like God was distant, and I doubted if He was even listening to my prayers. Looking back at those times, I now realize that my “prayers” were often more like complaints about my circumstances or instructions to God on how He should take care of my problems. Many times my approach was more from my frustration rather than my faith.
Early on in my walk with the Lord, I didn’t fully understand that it’s the prayer of faith that moves His heart, my faith and belief rooted in what He has already spoken in His Word. God isn’t obligated to respond to complaints, but He honors prayers that trust in His promises and in line with His Word and plan.
Through those silent seasons, God was showing me to shift my focus. Instead of telling Him what to do, I learned to remind myself of Who He is. Instead of dwelling on what I didn’t have, I began to thank Him for what He had already provided. As I grew in faith and understanding of His Word, I realized that God’s silence doesn’t mean He isn’t there for me or listening.
Sometimes, God’s silence is an invitation to seek Him more deeply, to press in close. It’s a call to lean into His Word, to bring our hearts into agreement with His, and to grow in trust, even when we can’t see or feel what He’s doing. His silence may be preparing us for something greater than we can imagine.
So how do we prepare for the seemingly silent times when we really need to hear the heart of God to receive His peace? How do we step into that knowing that He is there and He is working on the situation even when we cannot see it in our outward circumstances?
First of all, pray with faith. When you pray, base your requests on God’s promises. Speak His Word back to Him, trusting that He is faithful to perform it. This will require you to take some time to get into His Word so that you know just exactly what He has promised He will do when you ask.
Next, seek His presence by positioning yourself to spend time in worship and His Word, even when you don’t feel like it or even when you feel nothing at all. Many times the silence is where He shapes your faith and character the most. By pressing into Him and taking time to sit in His presence, you show yourself and the Lord just how serious you are about the situation. You are prepared to grow your faith by hearing and hearing His Word and believing His promises.
Then, trust His timing. Remember that God’s delays are not His denials. He is always working, even when it’s behind the scenes. Know that He is working every part of the situation together for something good because you love Him and trust Him with your life.
Lastly, give thanks and cultivate a heart of gratitude for what He has already done in your life. Take time to thank Him for the times He has already brought you through to victory. You will realize that He has never let you down when you truly trusted all the details to Him.
Today I want to encourage you that God’s silence is never permanent. He hears every prayer, sees every tear, and knows every need. As you continue to seek Him in faith, you’ll find that He’s been closer than you realized all along. He knows that sometimes a good friend just sits with you while you cry it out. Be consistent to seek first His kingdom and righteousness, and trust that His answers will come at the perfect time, in the perfect way. God’s silence may be the very invitation that you need to step into His greatest work in your life. ❤️
Today’s scripture reading: Psalms 83
1 Do not keep silent, O God! Do not hold Your peace, and do not be still, O God!
2 For behold, Your enemies make a tumult; And those who hate You have lifted up their head.
3 They have taken crafty counsel against Your people and consulted together against Your sheltered ones.
4 They have said, “Come, and let us cut them off from being a nation, that the name of Israel may be remembered no more.”
5 For they have consulted together with one consent; They form a confederacy against You:
6 The tents of Edom and the Ishmaelites; Moab and the Hagrites;
7 Gebal, Ammon, and Amalek; Philistia with the inhabitants of Tyre;
8 Assyria also has joined with them; They have helped the children of Lot. Selah
9 Deal with them as with Midian, as with Sisera, as with Jabin at the Brook Kishon,
10 Who perished at En Dor, who became as refuse on the earth.
11 Make their nobles like Oreb and like Zeeb, yes, all their princes like Zebah and Zalmunna,
12 Who said, “Let us take for ourselves the pastures of God for a possession.”
13 O my God, make them like the whirling dust, like the chaff before the wind!
14 As the fire burns the woods, and as the flame sets the mountains on fire,
15 So pursue them with Your tempest and frighten them with Your storm.
16 Fill their faces with shame, that they may seek Your name, O Lord.
17 Let them be confounded and dismayed forever; Yes, let them be put to shame and perish,
18 That they may know that You, whose name alone is the Lord, are the Most High over all the earth.
The Daily Dose 