"Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God." Psalm 42:11
Have you ever experienced a time of silence? I don’t mean peace and quiet where you find a moment to breathe and appreciate the solitude. I mean a time when you don’t feel God’s presence, when He seems anywhere but close to you or your circumstances. Those moments of silence always leave me feeling confused, discouraged, frustrated, and downcast.
Yet, I’m learning that even in the silence, God is there.
Even when I don’t feel His presence, He is with me.
Even when I don’t see His hand moving in my life, He is working.
Even when I don’t hear His Spirit speaking to me, He is listening.
Even when I fear God has left me in my misery, He is right by my side.
Finding God in the Silence
"How long, O LORD? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me?" Psalm 13:1
Many times, I’ve spiraled in worry when I’ve felt God’s absence:
Why did God leave me?
Is God going to help me?
Has God heard my prayers?
After many repetitions of these fear-filled questions, I’m learning to remind myself of this truth: If He did it before, He will do it again.
Just as God delivered Joseph from his troubles, restored his family, and made him prosper, He will meet my needs, too.
Just like when God made a way for the Israelites to escape from Egypt, cross the Red Sea, and enter the Promised Land, He will rescue and provide for me, too.
When Jesus healed diseases, delivered people from suffering, and calmed turbulent seas, He will bring healing and protection into my life, too.
Just as the Lord has already been faithful in my life to restore my future, heal my brokenness, and protect my life, He will continue to do those things again and again.
God’s actions are not “one and done.” He still answers prayers, provides rescue, redeems heartache, restores souls, heals illnesses, and meets our needs. God is faithful. Sometimes, there’s just a period of waiting and silence before our miracles come.
When I doubt and question His absence, I remind myself of these truths:
God keeps His promises: “…The LORD is trustworthy in all he promises and faithful in all he does.” Psalm 145:13
God will provide for my needs: “And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:19
God will never leave me: “The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.” Deuteronomy 31:8
God wants me to prosper: “For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11
God will grant my heart’s desires: “Take delight in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart.” Psalm 37:4
When I feel withdrawn from the Lord, I must remind myself of these truths because His Word is true. Matthew 24:35 says, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.” We can trust the validity of Scripture because it is never changing. God’s Word is honest, reliable, and affirmative.
To find God in times of silence, I have to remind myself of who He is, what He’s done, and where He is—right beside me, always.
* To learn more about God's faithfulness in the silence, read my previous post linked below:
God’s Gentle Whisper
It’s funny how my last two blogs have not been ones I planned on writing, yet have included this same passage from 1 Kings. God’s leading is certainly timely!
*If you didn’t see last week's post, read it below:
Here, we pick up right where we left Elijah—in a cave, about to meet with the Lord. In 1 Kings 19:11-12, it says, “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.”
God wasn’t in the blustery wind, nor the trembling earthquake, now the blazing fire. He didn’t showcase Himself to Elijah in an all-powerful, mesmerizing way. God came to Elijah in a gentle whisper.
I think there’s a lot to impact from this scripture, but the one thing that stands out to me is God’s calm, quiet whisper. I’m reminded of the prelude by Steven Furtick to Tauren Well’s song “Close” when he explains that God whispered to Elijah because He was close.
Recently, I journaled this entry:
“God does not show Himself in flashy “look at me” ways. He is subtle, yet so intentional. He’s always there, never loud or overwhelming. He’s in every whisper of our lives, we just have to trust in His silence.”
Oftentimes, I expect God’s presence to be a loud pronouncement, something that alerts me of His nearness. I often want God to reassure me of His proximity so that I know He’s there. Yet, when God is close to us, I’m learning that He wants us to rest, lean into His faithfulness, and trust in His sovereignty. His silence is not related to His absence. God is always with us, and He allows the silence to draw us closer to Him. As we learn to abide in the silence, He draws us near with gentle whispers of love, encouragement, and comfort.
Faith, Trust, and Pixie Dust
It’s not easy finding God in the silence, straining our spiritual ears to hear His whispers, releasing our worries to believe in the promises of Scripture. I often worry:
If I can’t hear God’s voice or feel His comfort, how do I know He’s with me?
I’m learning the key to this conundrum is faith.
Hebrews 11:6 says, “And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.” In the silence, our faith is tested. We have to choose to remind ourselves what we believe, why we believe it, and then trust in God’s faithfulness, even amidst the silence.
In the silence, we have the opportunity to grow in faith, trust, hope, patience, and remembrance of God’s goodness.
The silence is not meant to discourage us; it’s meant to draw us closer to Him.
In the silence, God is still there. We just have to listen and remember.
"Yes, my soul, find rest in God; my hope comes from him." Psalm 62:5
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