Sometimes God Speaks By Saying Nothing

In review of Job 34:29, it says, “If God is silent, what’s that to you? If he turns his face away, what can you do about it? But whether silent or hidden, he’s there, ruling.”

Bottom Line:

God is always present and in control, whether he chooses to be quiet or hidden, who can criticize him.

What this means to me:

If God choose to remain quiet or hidden, who am I to criticize him. Whether he is silent or hidden, I know he’s there, ruling.

There are times when God speaks by saying nothing. This can be extremely frustrating. But God has his reasons when he’s silent. I just need to wait and trust him. If I run ahead of God saying, “I haven’t heard anything from God, so I’m just going to go ahead and do this” and I don’t trust him, I’m going to have all kinds of problems and be filled with regret.

There are many examples of this in the Bible. One of them was King Saul, the first king of Israel. He was getting ready to go to battle, and he went to God and said, “God, what do you want me to do in this battle?”

But Saul hadn’t been right with God for a long time. The Bible says in 1 Samuel 28:6, “Saul prayed to GOD, but GOD didn’t answer — neither by dream nor by sign nor by prophet” (MSG).

Saul tried to find an answer three different ways, and he still didn’t get it. So he got impatient. He got desperate, and he turned to the occult; something he had outlawed in the country. He said, “Go find a spiritual advisor. Find me a medium, a psychic, a witch, somebody who can conjure up spirits or do a séance.” He knew it was wrong, and he did it anyway because he got desperate. And you know what happened? He lost everything. He lost the battle. He lost his reputation. He lost his life. He didn’t wait to hear from God, and he suffered great consequences.

So when God is silent, first, I need to remember that God is in control. Job 34:29 says, “If God is silent, what’s that to you? If he turns his face away, what can you do about it? But whether silent or hidden, he’s there, ruling.” God may not share his plan with me, but it doesn’t mean he doesn’t have one. He has a plan and purpose for my life. He loves my. He’s a good God. And he’ll take care of me if I’ll just wait on him.

Second, I trust God. The Bible says in Psalm 50:14, “I want you to trust me in your times of trouble, so I can rescue you and you can give me glory” (TLB). God is asking me, “Will you trust me? Will you trust me with that financial problem? Will you trust me with that dream? Will you trust me with that ache in your heart? Will you trust me with that stress? Will you trust me with that loneliness? Will you trust me with that desire to get married? Will you trust me with that health issue? Will you trust me with your dreams and ambitions? Will you trust me?”

This morning I pray, “Dear God, I don’t want to go through life without hearing from you. I want to learn to listen. Thank you for Word, the Bible. Help me to absorb it. Thank you for gifted teachers and leaders you have surrounded me with. Help me to act on what they teach. Help me to make some godly friends that I can trust and listen to. I want to be open to the ideas that you place in my mind. When I’m in pain, help me to learn from it, not run from it. Most of all, help me to trust you and your plan when you’re silent. Jesus Christ, I want to get to know you and love you like you love me. In your name I pray. Amen.”