The Silence of God
Memory verse: Jesus gave them this answer: ‘I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by Himself; He can do only what He sees His Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does’ (John 5:19)
I went through a lengthy time when God was silent. I sensed heaven was shut up, and I could not understand God’s silence.
Do you remember a biblical person who had a problem like this? Job did. His counselors told him all his problems were caused by sin, while Job claimed he and God were on proper terms. Job did not know all God was doing during that time, but his counselors were wrong. God had another reason for His silence.
All I knew to do was to go back to God, believing that the God who was in a love relationship with me would let me know what was happening in my life when and if I needed to know. So, I prayed, “Heavenly Father, I don’t understand this silence. You are going to have to tell me what You are doing in my life.” He did—from His Word. This became one of the most meaningful experiences in my life.
I did not frantically search for an answer but continued my daily reading of God’s Word. I was convinced that as I regularly read the Word of God, the Spirit of God— who knew the mind of God for me—was in the process of helping me understand what God was doing in my life. God will let you know what He is doing in your life when and if you need to know.
One morning I was reading the account of the death of Lazarus (see John 11:1-45). John reported that Jesus loved Lazarus, Mary, and Martha. Although Jesus received word that His good friend was sick and at the point of death, He delayed going until Lazarus died. In other words, Mary and Martha asked Jesus to come help their brother when he was sick, and Jesus was silent. All the way through Lazarus’s final sickness and death, Jesus did not answer. They received no response from the One who said He loved Lazarus. Jesus even said He loved Mary and Martha. Yet He did nothing. Eventually, Lazarus died, and Mary and Martha went through the funeral process, preparing his body, putting him in the grave, and covering it with a stone. Still, God’s silence continued. Finally, Jesus said to His disciples, “Let’s go.”
When Jesus arrived, Lazarus had been dead four days. Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died” (v.32). Then the Spirit of God began to help me understand something. It seemed to me as if Jesus said to Mary and Martha: “You are exactly right. If I had come when you asked, your brother would not have died. You know I could have healed him, because you have seen Me heal people many times before. If I had come when you asked Me to, I would have healed him. But you would have never known any more about Me than you already understood. I knew you were ready for a greater revelation of Me than you had known before. I wanted you to experience that I am the Resurrection and the Life. My refusal and My silence were not rejection. They were opportunities for Me to disclose to you more of Me than you had ever known.”
When that truth dawned on me, I almost jumped out of my chair. I said, “That’s what’s happening in my life! God’s silence means He is ready to bring into my life a greater revelation of Himself than I have ever known.” I immediately changed my whole attitude toward God. With great anticipation I began to watch for what God was going to teach me about Himself. Then some things happened that I might never have responded to without that readiness and anticipation.
Respond to the following questions/statements
Have you ever persistently prayed for something and not received it or received something different?
Are you currently praying for anything God is not granting?
If you answered yes to 2, pause and ask God to help you understand what He is doing in your life. Then watch to see what happens next or pay attention to what He begins to reveal to you through His Word.