If you have been a biblical Christian for any length of time, you have experienced stretches of time when God is silent.  You lift your voice to Him over and over and yet no response seems to be forthcoming.

Early in prayer, it is easy to believe God will hear, listen and respond.  But day after day, month after month, it becomes less easy to believe God will respond.  It becomes easier to be discouraged and to doubt what you know is true.

You pray for clarity, yet you are still uncertain.

You pray for peace, yet your heart is still anxious.

You pray for comfort, yet waves of grief roll over you.

You pray for wisdom, yet you continue to lack it.

You pray for healing, yet the person still suffers.

You pray for salvation, yet your family members remain unbelieving.

You pray for finances to cover expenses, yet your bills still remain unpaid.

In moments like these we fight for faith, fight to believe those things we believed at the first are still true in our waiting.

We are not alone. The Psalmists experienced similar silence:

Why, O Lord, do you stand far away? Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble? Psalm 10:1

How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? How long must I take counsel in my soul and have sorrow in my heart all the day? Psalm 13:1-2

You have seen, O Lord; be not silent! O Lord, be not far from me! Psalm 35:22

We may not know why God is being silent but rather than focusing on what we don’t know, faith grows as we focus on what we do know about God.

God loves and cares for us.

See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. 1 John 3:1

… casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. 1 Peter 5:7

God sees us. 

The Lord looks down from heaven; he sees all the children of man;
from where he sits enthroned he looks out on all the inhabitants of the earth.. Psalm 33:13-14

God is good.

Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever! Psalm 118:1

God hears and listens.

But know that the Lord has set apart the godly for himself;  the Lord hears when I call to him. Psalm 4:3

God is not ignoring us.  He has a plan and a purpose.

The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me; your steadfast love, O Lord, endures forever. Do not forsake the work of your hands. Psalm 138:8

God is at work in our lives in the midst of the circumstances. He is in the process of conforming us to the image of Jesus Christ and is likely using the circumstances to further our sanctification.

For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. Romans 8:29

Verses that we have heard all our lives that seem cliché are still true.

The sum of your word is truth, and every one of your righteous rules endures forever. Psalm 119:160

This God—his way is perfect; the word of the Lord proves true; he is a shield for all those who take refuge in him. 2 Samuel 22:31

Rather than wallow in what we don’t know we need to rehearse the truth we do know and cling to God’s promises in His Word.

I needed this reminder today.  Perhaps you did too.

Blessings,

Diane

Diane Hunt serves part-time on the staff of America’s Keswick providing ministry support from her home in North Carolina. She is also a biblical counselor and women’s event speaker. For more information about having Diane speak at your next event, please contact her at dhunt@americaskeswick.org