When God Is Silent

I don’t know about you, but I have heard and read so many well-meaning messages and devotionals about why, when and how God is “silent.” And every one was tainted in some way with a religious tone. Some would point to God being silent during certain seasons of your life while others would suggest He is waiting for you to arrive at some point. Regardless, there is only one truth to His silence. And in this love letter, I hope the sound of that verity resonates freedom in your soul. It’s the reason I can’t keep quiet!

In this gospel, there is only good news. And the more intimate I become with God and the more He reveals to me His heart, His finished work and His ways, the more undone I become in His love and grace. Now don’t get me wrong…there has been many a “season” in my relationship with Jesus when it has felt or seemed as though God were silent. Actually, it felt more like He was completely ignoring me! But as He has gently unraveled the chains of lies that religion loves to keep us bound in, I have come to see just how He relates to and communes with us. And it’s always in Perfect Love.

Because He has spoken to us in the person of a Son Who is the perfect image of God’s nature and Who upholds, maintains and sustains the universe, and because the Son IS The Word of Power, He is always communicating (Hebrews 1:1-3). He speaks to you personally, intimately and in endless ways: through creation, strangers, loved ones, His Word (both logos-the written Word of the Bible and rhema-the freshly spoken Word), His voice on the inside, peace or lack of it, music, movies, etc. He spoke to you before you said “yes” to Him and He speaks to you now. (Be still for a moment and be aware of how He’s interacting with you).

“So then why does it seem like He has gone completely quiet when I’m in my darkest moments and seasons?” you ask. Well, let me shed some Light on that. The very real feelings and emotions we experience when it seems like God has “turned” from us in silence are directly related to what we are believing. Whether it’s shame from our brokenness or pain that causes us to believe wrong, we need the good news to sound the truth on God’s silence.

And believing right (faith) comes by hearing the Good News about Jesus (Romans 10:17). So what we are hearing and accepting as truth is the catalyst for experiencing either life or lies (death). Because ultimately, it’s our awareness of His loving Presence or lack of it that determines our encounter.

So let’s talk about this good news. The gospel is the supercalifragilisticexpialidocious declaration that Jesus has 100% cleansed us with His blood and has bestowed upon us His righteousness as a gift (our perfect right standing with God right now!). He took our place so we could take His and be with Him now and forever. And we enter into that reality by faith (simply believing what God says is true!).

“This gospel unveils a continual revelation of God‘s righteousness— A perfect righteousness given to us when we believe…we are right with God through life-giving faith.” Romans 1:17 TPT

Yes, you have always been valuable. Yes, He dreamed you up before the foundation of the world. But because of the fall of man, you needed redemption! And now He has given you His very life. This means it’s not about YOU (inasmuch as it is not about what you do or don’t do). It is all about Jesus and what He has done as and for you. Your righteousness is not something you do. Your righteousness is a Person. Where am I going with all of this?

Well, if you believe you still have to perform for love or blessings, you will always be focused on you. You will end up being sin-conscious instead of Jesus-conscious (Love-conscious). When you believe God is analyzing your every thought and move, you end up in a pit of shame, guilt and condemnation. And child of God, let me remind you, NONE of those belong to you! But it’s our shame and guilt that cause us to feel alone, unworthy or distant from God (just like in the garden remember?). And that mindset is what creates the experiential feeling of God being silent with us.

But because Jesus’ sacrifice of Himself was once and for all, your Father sees you once and for all like Jesus! You are loved as you are (the good, the bad and the ugly), yet you get the same treatment from your Daddy God as Jesus!

This is why God is silent in one thing: calling to remembrance your sin.

When you can’t forget about where or how you’ve missed it, or how you haven’t done enough, or haven’t been loving enough, kind enough, giving enough…(the list can go on and on), God does not remember! (Hebrews 10:17). In His radical, wild, unconditional love for you He is silent by making NO mention of past sins or present failures! He will not agree with what no longer exists! Bottom line? He’s just not going to bring up your baggage. But He will set you free from your bondage of it. And He will heal you from the damage caused by it.

He knows you in and out. He knows your ways, your heart, your desires and your regrets. He intricately knitted you together in your mother’s womb and brought you to life in His very image. All He can do is love all of you by singing and rejoicing over you with His joy of bringing you home and being your Savior!

“The Lord your God is in the midst of you, a Mighty One, a Savior [Who saves]! He will rejoice over you with joy; He will rest [in silent satisfaction] and in His love He will be silent and make no mention [of past sins, or even recall them]; He will exult over you with singing.” Zephaniah 3:17 AMPC

Especially in our profound pain the Lord is far from being mute. Recently, William Paul Young’s book, “The Shack” was made into a movie. In it, was a scene that spoke volumes about God’s seeming silence. The woman who played the role of Father God spoke to the main character Mackenzie saying, “When all you see is your pain, you lose sight of Me.”

When we’ve been so wounded; so hurt by rejection, tragedy, loss or the trial we’re in, we find it hard to hear the Lord’s whisper of love or even His weeping with us. We can’t feel His tender embrace. And we often blame Him for our brokenness when in fact He is the one Who heals us, makes us whole, restores us and brings us back to life. He is closer than your breath, beloved, always trying to get your attention with His Presence of peace, relentless comfort and unfathomable love to heal your deepest wounds.

However, it’s a process. And more importantly, a growing relationship in which He woos us with His goodness to trust Him all the more. If that’s you beloved, be loved as you are. Pain is not always our enemy (but unhealed pain can be deafening). And while any form of death is an enemy of God, it is often our pain and weaknesses that catapult us into a life of greater grace and intimacy with Him as He works good in all things. So even though your Father holds you where you are, believe He paid a high price for you to hear His love song again and enter into the abundance He has for you.

That means the next time you hear the sound of silence, remember to be still and know. Know it’s only your Father singing the song of the cross to you. Not to the tune of tyranny, but with the melody of love, forgiveness, grace, acceptance and pure delight over you.

Resting In His Love,

Annalee Reyes