What You Should Do When it Seems Like God is Silent

Have you ever expected an answer from God or prayed for Him to show up in your situation, but instead of a clear response or sign all you felt was silence? As if your words were bouncing off of the ceiling instead of making their way to God.

I've been there; where it feels like God is silent.

Often when we seek God’s guidance we look for response our human ears can validate or hearts can easily feel. We expect answers and signs that line up with our way of thinking. Sometimes we get that, but often we don't.

In the situation where you feel as if you’re not hearing from God it may not be that He is being silent or that He isn’t speaking. It’s likely that he already has given you what we need to know but you’re just not catching it. Possibly you were trying to listen but couldn't decipher his voice through the noise of your emotions, situation, or fleshly desires. Maybe you were looking for a resounding no, and missed Him gently whisper, “Not yet”.

Related Post: The Voice of God (Not Morgan Freeman)

Elijah was a prophet in the Old Testament who, while being used by God to destroy false prophets, found his life threatened by Jezebel. Full of fear, he lost faith and ran for his life. He prayed to die saying, “I have had enough, Lord,” (1 Kings 19:4). Then the Lord spoke to him:The Lord said, “Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.” Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper...Then a voice said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” (1 Kings 19:11-13)I love this verse because it vividly illustrates that God’s voice in our situation often is not the loudest or most obvious.God is always working on our behalf, He is never inactive in our life of his children. We just need to be still enough to hear his voice and familiar with it so we can recognize it.If you feel like you’re not hearing from God and He is being silent, then I want to encourage you to do two things:

First, be still.

If you feel like you are unsure of your next step and are waiting on God to show it to you, don’t stress (easier said than done, I Know!). Don’t let your emotions guide your response. Continue to be diligent in prayer and faithful where he’s called you right now. He is with you and his right hand will sustain you. In his time he will open doors and make your next steps clear.

Second, seek Him wholeheartedly.

Draw near to God and he will draw near to you. (James 4:8).Become more familiar with his voice and his ways by reading the Bible because the Word of God is living and active. Through it the Holy Spirit gives us revelation and understanding. We need more understanding, patience, and peace to run this race and live out God’s will for our life. I want to end this post with encouragement:

“God is always doing 10,000 things in your life, and you may be aware of three of them.” — John Piper

Above all, remember that God loves and cares you. Regardless of how you feel nothing in all creation can separate you from His love. Even if you feel like God is being silent in your life.