When God is Silent
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Posted by
bec
I'm preaching in a few weeks and I'm exploring the issue of "when God is silent".
I'm interested in what others think about whether God chooses not to speak to us and why (is it him not speaking or us not hearing - or something else). What is your response if/when you can't hear God - how does it make you feel? How does it affect what you believe about God? What impact does it have on your faith?
10:42 PM
Really good questions and topic. Being one that is going through a reasonably silent time I have thought a bit about this lately. So to answer some of your questions for myself:
I have no idea why God chooses not to speak to us. I figure that God being God, he can pretty much do what he wants. God is not obligated to do anything much less speak to me. I think that coming to that realisation makes it so much greater when God does decide to break silence. *opinion-that might-offend-and/or-be-outright wrong-alert* I think that putting it down to us not hearing him is a weak idea - if God wanted to talk to us, there would be a point behind it. I don't really see a point to talking if you know the other person isn't going to hear you. 'Hear you' means in any form of the word in this context.
How it makes me feel? How can I tell a female wrote this :p? I guess having the view that God isn't obligated speak to me has the effect of dulling the whole "I am the center of God's universe" type idea which we seem to have in the west. How it impacts my faith? I'd imagine that the implications this has on my faith go very deep and psychological, but I'm simply not smart enough to come up with any, sorry. Maybe others have some thoughts.
8:30 AM
Yep - a female wrote it - LOL! Actually I didn't mean "feel" in a touchy feely girly way, perhaps I should have just left it at the "impacting your faith" part of the question. I have read a few blogs where people seem to be having a real crisis over God's apparent distance; they don't seem to be doubting his existence but they seem to be terrified by the silence. What might be behind that?
What is your response to the teaching that says "if you can't hear God you must have some unconfessed sin or you simply don't have enough faith"?
6:14 PM
Well for me I struggle wondering 'why'. Why is it that God can be so willing to speak in some parts of history or some certain people but not me? I guess that's where the teaching you quoted comes in - someones attempt at explaining that 'why'.
I've heard it said that in the 400 years before Christ, God was silent. Now I don't know whether that means no one in that time heard a word from God, but if that was the case it would seems a stretch to say that all those people throughout that time just didn't have enough faith. Also, I think it a stretch looking at things like Pentecost - in a huge outpouring of God's spirit - that every one of those people in the crowd had it all sorted. Not only a rock-hard faith but no unconfessed sin either. Would be interested to hear a retort, though :)
6:22 PM
Why can God NOT be silent? We look at what is happening to our world and we feel speechless too!
I am often lost for words when I see what is happening to our people, our planet, our future.
I think God needs time to take it all in too. When he is silent, that is when we need to draw on our thoughts and act accordingly. He lets us think on our own. We sometimes put too much pressure on God, and we do not think for ourselves. God is always here, but does not always have to be talking to us. Quite often, his silence speaks volumes!
9:24 PM
Good point bandy, about the period before Christ and pentecost. Sometimes I wonder if there is too much emphasis put on what state we are in as to whether god speaks or not. The whole "centre of the universe" thing you were talking about.
And you made a good point too helensylvia, I have been wondering if God us allowing us our dignity by NOT talking to us all the time. So many people want to hear exactly what God wants from them (Is this the right person to marry? Is it God's will that I go to uni or do a mission trip? Which ministry does God want me to be involved in?...) but perhaps sometimes the reason he doesn't tell us is because he wants us to think and decide for ourselves, as you say. Maybe what we interpret as his silence and/or distance is actually God allowing us our image-bearing dignity?
1:11 AM
Sounds a bit like the sermon Mr Duncan did. I hear he has some interesting views on this very topic...
7:41 AM
have you seen the Barbara brown Taylor book 'When God is silent? It's really good.
I find that looking back on hard times when the silence was stunning, you can often see God's fingerprints. God was there - we were just too wound up or hurting or self-ansorbed to notice.
7:36 PM
Yeah I have thanks Lauren. It is fantastic!
I agree about the value of hindsight, another one of those lessons we can learn from Israel..."remember where he has brought you...". This has indeed helped me when God is nowhere to be found
5:04 AM
Rebecca, your sermon yesterday was brilliant. You are so thoughtful and talented. Wow!Thanks fpr the loan of the book too. By spots are falling off already. xo