Job 33:14 “For God does speak—now one way, now another— though man may not perceive it.”
Have you ever been frustrated because it seems like God isn’t talking to you? Have you ever asked God for an answer, and you felt like the reply was crickets? Have there been seasons in your life when you thought God was giving you the silent treatment, for whatever reason?
There have been times in my life when I didn’t think God was talking to me and this made me both frustrated and mad. I’ve had experiences when I asked God for wisdom, direction, answers, help, etc and I didn’t seem to get much, if any, divine input.
In these experiences, we can feel:
- like we’re left on our own to solve stuff.
- angry with God for the lack of answers or input.
- frustrated that God isn’t talking with us.
- Disappointed, because we don’t get what we’re expecting or what the Bible says will happen.
All of these experiences, thoughts and feelings are valid and real. So, what do we do and how do we resolve these important struggles? Here are some reminders that you can dwell on.
Different frequencies: It’s possible that we are accustomed to God speaking with us in a particular method or manner. If we aren’t hearing God in that “normal or customary” way, God could be speaking to us on a different frequency. Perhaps God is speaking to you through a friend or even an enemy. Maybe God is speaking to you through a sermon, podcast, blog, IG / FB reel, etc. God could also be talking to you through nature, like a sunrise or sunset, the starry night sky, wonderful Summer harvests or wildlife, a rain shower, bird song, etc.
Abiding presence: The Bible tells us that God never leaves nor forsakes us (Deut 31:8, Heb 13:5, Josh 1:5, Matt 28:20). Because we accept that the Bible is true for us, then we also need to believe that God is always present even if it seems like He’s silent. And, perhaps when it seems like God is silent, He is asking us to listen better, pay attention to and press closer to Him. Maybe God being quiet is an invitation for us to get closer.
Unwanted answers: In the story about the woman caught in adultery and thrown before Jesus (John 8:1-11), the Jewish leaders persistently pressed Jesus for His answer about her sin. It’s interesting that Jesus didn’t directly answer them, but rather kneeled to the ground and began to write in the dirt. As the leaders continued to press Him, he told them that whoever among them was without sin, he could through the first rock. This wasn’t the answer that these religious leaders wanted to hear, and they began to leave the “conversation” one by one until no one was left except Jesus and the sinful woman. Perhaps these accusers could have received forgiveness from Jesus alongside the sinful woman, if they had stayed present to hear everything that Jesus would say. If we aren’t hearing the answers that we want from God, let’s not ignore or dismiss the answers we are hearing from Him.
Feeding on God’s faithfulness: In Psalm 37:3, we read, “Trust in the Lord and do good; Dwell in the land and cultivate [feed on His] faithfulness.” This verse reminds us to reflect on how God has been faithful to us in the past, so that we can trust in His goodness and love to us now. We know that hindsight is 20/20 so it can be helpful to look at how God has spoken to and been with us in the past. Let’s choose to trust in God’s character more than we rely on our current feelings or thoughts.
Finally, let’s keep in mind that God speaks to us in a variety of ways even though we don’t always recognize nor perceive God speaking, based on Job 33:14. With this in mind, let’s ask God to raise our awareness to the variety of ways that God communicates with us!
