God's silence - your experiences?

[DirectionSeeker]

What has been your experiences with God's silence? How did you deal with it, how long did it last and what happened that ended it?

I would greatly appreciate a testimony of a situation where you pray for something, God answers clearly, letting you know that it is His will, but then there's a long season of waiting where nothing seems to happen - months go by, God remains silent, and you start wondering if God has decided to change His mind. Since God is faithful, it can't be possible for Him to make a promise and then change His mind, betraying you. And so you're left with just trusting God no matter what. How did that turn out in the end? This is probably more relevant for those who have walked with the Lord for a long time.

 

[Dave G.]

He's been preparing a place for us for more than 2000 years, the promise is He will return to take us there. Anything else might be sort of an extra perk but I believe the promise.

The Israelite were in the wilderness for years mostly due to their own stubbornness, it should have been weeks !

Those are two scenarios. Try praying and fasting and diving into the word. But it simply could be it's His timing and not yours. That 2000 years we wait on ? In Gods time it's been two days !

 

[GirdYourLoins]

About 20 years and still waiting.

 

[DirectionSeeker]

About 20 years and still waiting.

Is your situation similar to mine in that God has specifically, multiple times and clearly made it known to you that your petition (clearly defined) will come to pass one day? Or is your situation a bit more diffuse?

 

[aiki]

What has been your experiences with God's silence? How did you deal with it, how long did it last and what happened that ended it?

I don't get this question. How, when we possess God's word, is God ever silent? He's always saying something to us in His word...

would greatly appreciate a testimony of a situation where you pray for something, God answers clearly, letting you know that it is His will, but then there's a long season of waiting where nothing seems to happen - months go by, God remains silent, and you start wondering if God has decided to change His mind. Since God is faithful, it can't be possible for Him to make a promise and then change His mind, betraying you.

Or, alternatively, you mistook what you thought was a promise from God. At times, God has not "put me in the game," but He has never ceased to speak to me, teach me, and deepen me even when He I was "on the bench."

I've been walking with God for nearly fifty years now, by the way.

 

[DirectionSeeker]

I don't get this question. How, when we possess God's word, is God ever silent? He's always saying something to us in His word...



Or, alternatively, you mistook what you thought was a promise from God. At times, God has not "put me in the game," but He has never ceased to speak to me, teach me, and deepen me even when He I was "on the bench."

I've been walking with God for nearly fifty years now, by the way.

Could you share one instance from your own life where you pray for something specific and then God answering that prayer? How has that process looked like for you? English is not my first language so maybe I'm not being articulate here but what I'm trying to say is sometimes scripture does not tell us if we should choose x or y, marry x or y, choose career x or y etc. How do you discern God's will in these instances? Because if God reveals that to you, it becomes His promise to you.

That's what this thread is about. How has your experience been with following God's specific leading?

 

[Mark Quayle]

What has been your experiences with God's silence? How did you deal with it, how long did it last and what happened that ended it?

I would greatly appreciate a testimony of a situation where you pray for something, God answers clearly, letting you know that it is His will, but then there's a long season of waiting where nothing seems to happen - months go by, God remains silent, and you start wondering if God has decided to change His mind. Since God is faithful, it can't be possible for Him to make a promise and then change His mind, betraying you. And so you're left with just trusting God no matter what. How did that turn out in the end? This is probably more relevant for those who have walked with the Lord for a long time.

I'm 65, been a believer longer than I can remember, missionary kid, grew up among Christians, but can't exactly say I've walked with God that whole time. There were times I (provisionally) gave up, or at least, quit trying anymore, out of frustration, confusion and exhaustion, and from the feeling that The Church as I had known it had nobody in it to ask questions from anymore --their advice and direction was like (come to think of it now) logging into Facebook. Tired, tired, tired of it all.

For years on end my cry to God for holiness and closeness to God (knowing without a doubt that it was his will) was met with more and more love for Scripture and Christ and added desire for purity, but my lack of obedience continually slapped me in the face, and my search for just that last little tidbit of information I lacked, so that I could finally be that consistent and victorious Christian I kept hearing I should be just went on and on in continuing frustration and bitter tears, til it just all seemed ludicrous. I can't even remember how many times I felt like I had had enough, how many cycles of cold numbness I endured; I was unwilling to play this cruel game anymore. I had learned the meaning of integrity --it was what I lacked. Words like, 'sincere', 'vow', 'steadfast', 'faithful' --even 'repentant' and 'obedient'-- all were mockers.

It took a long time before I began to see that God was indeed slowly answering my prayers. It was in giving up on the Church and on myself that it slowly began to make its way into my mind that the basics were still there that I had always believed: Omnipotence and Sovereignty of God, and the one that in my worst most rebellious or distant moments undoes me --the absolute grace of God. His incredible mercy. His patience and forebearance. But all those concepts (and so many others) had gained substance.

I found out that the only good in me was Christ. I found out that indeed apart from him I can do nothing. I found out that this is about HIM, not about me, and that even my performance is not mine to judge nor to decide. HE is my pursuit, even above obedience, strange though that sounds to me even now. (NO! I am not saying obedience need not be pursued. OF COURSE it must! But somehow it is not me doing it now, though it tears me to pieces to do. It is as if he is letting me watch up close.) No longer do I think when I fail, that now I have all that lost time to make up for --instead, I know I am exactly where he had all along planned for me to be at that moment, and so I know I can get up and go again. I have not ruined his plans concerning me.

The last thing I cannot leave without mentioning: I found out that he is doing all this for his own sake. And that he is more than pleased with the work of his hands. Probably my greatest hope (expectation) is the sight of God satisfied.

All this is where my stupid, emotional, hard-headed, pretentious, silly, ignorant, weak, self-important prayers are answered --years later. And it isn't over with yet.

 

[aiki]

Could you share one instance from your own life where you pray for something specific and then God answering that prayer?

Goodness! Where to start! Let's see... Well, I prayed just last night that God would conform me to His will and way in a situation where my strong inclination was to serve myself, to protect and justify myself. As I submitted myself to God - several times throughout a conversation I was having with someone with whom I didn't initially want to speak at all - I found my heart softened and a grace not my own filling my mind and words. By the end of the conversation, I was marveling at the power of God to transform me, not by thunderous revolution of my person, but with a profound and subtle power I could not, at first, even recognize was shaping my thinking, feelings and actions. Countless times God has done this, fulfilling His promise to conform me to Himself as I yield myself to Him regularly and persistently.

...what I'm trying to say is sometimes scripture does not tell us if we should choose x or y, marry x or y, choose career x or y etc. How do you discern God's will in these instances? Because if God reveals that to you, it becomes His promise to you.

God has filled His word with truth, wisdom, commands and spiritual principles that He intends you should apply to life choices like who to marry, what career to embark upon, what house you should purchase, and so on. Too often, though, Christians want a special set of instructions just for themselves, direct from God, making their choices for them, ensuring success and securing them against the pain and trouble of mistakes. But this isn't how God, by-and-large, operates with His children. He has laid out a comprehensive set of instructions as to how to make good, godly choices in the Bible, and it is by this manual, by application of its contents, He intends we should navigate life's various crossroads.

Psalm 119:99-100
99 I have more insight than all my teachers, For Your testimonies are my meditation.
100 I understand more than the aged, Because I have observed Your precepts.

Psalm 119:105
105 Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path.

2 Timothy 3:16-17
16 All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness;
17 so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.

In the record of Scripture, when God wanted to communicate directly to someone, He never failed to do so and He made His communication very plain: burning bush, angelic visit, prophet, vision, disembodied hand writing upon a wall, talking donkey, being knocked to the ground and blinded, etc. Why, then, do believers today resort to such vague and easily mistaken sources of divine communication like strong impulses, voices in their heads, feelings, coincidence, etc.? This isn't how God communicated directly to folks in the Bible. There isn't a single verse that says God spoke to someone in their mind, nor is there any teaching to this effect, either. None. Oh, there are many verses that people assume mean to say this, but none that actually do.

If God has something to say to you, something uniquely for you, He will not fail to make it crystal clear what He wants you to know. And if God hasn't given you this sort of absolutely unmistakable and overt direction, then you haven't, I believe, actually heard from Him.

When God is not giving you a burning bush, or knocking you to the ground and blinding you, there is His word full of all you need to live wisely before Him, a bright, shining light in our dark and dying world.

 

[disciple Clint]

Is your situation similar to mine in that God has specifically, multiple times and clearly made it known to you that your petition (clearly defined) will come to pass one day? Or is your situation a bit more diffuse?

Your statement makes me think of Abraham, God made him a promise and Abraham felt he had to do something because God did not act when Abraham though that He should.

 

[mama2one]

follow

 

[DirectionSeeker]

Goodness! Where to start! Let's see... Well, I prayed just last night that God would conform me to His will and way in a situation where my strong inclination was to serve myself, to protect and justify myself. As I submitted myself to God - several times throughout a conversation I was having with someone with whom I didn't initially want to speak at all - I found my heart softened and a grace not my own filling my mind and words. By the end of the conversation, I was marveling at the power of God to transform me, not by thunderous revolution of my person, but with a profound and subtle power I could not, at first, even recognize was shaping my thinking, feelings and actions. Countless times God has done this, fulfilling His promise to conform me to Himself as I yield myself to Him regularly and persistently.



God has filled His word with truth, wisdom, commands and spiritual principles that He intends you should apply to life choices like who to marry, what career to embark upon, what house you should purchase, and so on. Too often, though, Christians want a special set of instructions just for themselves, direct from God, making their choices for them, ensuring success and securing them against the pain and trouble of mistakes. But this isn't how God, by-and-large, operates with His children. He has laid out a comprehensive set of instructions as to how to make good, godly choices in the Bible, and it is by this manual, by application of its contents, He intends we should navigate life's various crossroads.

Psalm 119:99-100
99 I have more insight than all my teachers, For Your testimonies are my meditation.
100 I understand more than the aged, Because I have observed Your precepts.

Psalm 119:105
105 Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path.

2 Timothy 3:16-17
16 All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness;
17 so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.

In the record of Scripture, when God wanted to communicate directly to someone, He never failed to do so and He made His communication very plain: burning bush, angelic visit, prophet, vision, disembodied hand writing upon a wall, talking donkey, being knocked to the ground and blinded, etc. Why, then, do believers today resort to such vague and easily mistaken sources of divine communication like strong impulses, voices in their heads, feelings, coincidence, etc.? This isn't how God communicated directly to folks in the Bible. There isn't a single verse that says God spoke to someone in their mind, nor is there any teaching to this effect, either. None. Oh, there are many verses that people assume mean to say this, but none that actually do.

If God has something to say to you, something uniquely for you, He will not fail to make it crystal clear what He wants you to know. And if God hasn't given you this sort of absolutely unmistakable and overt direction, then you haven't, I believe, actually heard from Him.

When God is not giving you a burning bush, or knocking you to the ground and blinding you, there is His word full of all you need to live wisely before Him, a bright, shining light in our dark and dying world.

Thank you so much for that testimony Aiki!

I really think God has made His will abundantly clear to me, like you say He does when He wants to tell you something specific. Do you perhaps have another testimony of this caliber, i.e. where God clearly makes His will known to you in a specific situation (ideally a very important one)? Maybe such a testimony will reinforce the validity of those revelations I’ve received. How was God’s will presented to you? And did you - similar to me - in spite of one clear revelation, ask for a confirmation later?

 

[Joined2krist]

I think our waiting period sometimes depends on our faith in God concerning what we prayed for. I have specifically asked for jobs and received exactly what I asked for, and I have asked for accommodation and received it but this was after I had grown in faith through intense Bible study. Then when I was distracted and didn't have enough faith, I asked and didn't receive or I had to wait longer to get what I asked for. I think we need to focus on increasing our faith to make the waiting period shorter. This reminds me of the Exodus, the Israelites were promised a good land and they could have reached it in less than a week but their lack of faith kept them going in circles for 40 years. God bless

 

[aiki]

I really think God has made His will abundantly clear to me, like you say He does when He wants to tell you something specific. Do you perhaps have another testimony of this caliber, i.e. where God clearly makes His will known to you in a specific situation (ideally a very important one)?

Well, as a much younger man, I told God - very seriously - I would do whatever He wanted me to do. In demonstration of my seriousness, I had cleared my schedule for the summer and left it totally at the disposal of God. Only a couple of days after declaring my availability to God, I got a phone call from a complete stranger who'd got my name from someone who'd got my name from someone else and so on along a line of about half a dozen people (only one of whom I knew). The stranger on the phone wondered what I was doing with my summer and asked me if I might consider serving as director of a Summer Bible Camp. My response was surprised but curious. Was this an answer to my prayer? The request certainly had the mark of God on it in its strange convolutions. The opportunity "ticked all the boxes" as far as what I understood from Scripture would serve and honor God, so I went through a vetting process with the camp board which further confirmed the hand of God in the whole thing. I worked the summer as the camp's director and was very glad it had been so clear God wanted me at the camp. There were a series of very...peculiar situations that occurred, any of which would have propelled me from the role of director if I hadn't been sure God had placed me in the role.

I was asked almost a decade ago now to serve as an Elder at my church. Recognizing the great spiritual responsibility of the role, and not having had any thought of being an Elder, I was initially very reluctant to agree to the request (coming from the Board of Elders). Twice I asked God to confirm that He wanted me in the role: I flatly turned down the first two invitations to join the Elders Board, thinking that if God was in the situation, He would move the Elders to persist, which He (and they) did. After the third offer to join the Elder's Board, I agreed. Moving into the role was also greatly helped by the fact that in every respect except holding the title of Elder, I had been acting as one within the church (according to the biblical descriptions of an Elder), meeting the qualifications for an Elder fully. In any case, I'm very glad God put up with my "fleece tests" because it has given me a certainty about being an Elder that I've needed in remaining in the role (which has been very difficult in certain respects).

In both these instances, God acted to confirm His hand in the situation, but in tandem with His word, from which necessary guidance was also obtained. In neither instance would I have taken on the work I did if I hadn't had a very solid basis in Scripture for doing so. It is not enough, I think, to be able to point to strange confluences of events, or strong impressions, as divine leading; these events/impressions must lead to what comports well with the priorities, and purposes, and principles God sets out for all of His children in His word.

 

[Brenda Blakely]

You asked: What has been your experiences with God's silence? How did you deal with it, how long did it last and what happened that ended it?

Seems like you got a lot of really good encouraging answers and I hope they helped. I, too have had many times when I felt that the ball was in my court and God was waiting to see what I would do i.e. run ahead of Him and/or wait for Him. There are also a lot of good examples in the Bible. God for me is His presence. His steady and comforting presence. I do love it when He shows up, shouts out, proclaims but that is not what steadies me day to day.

But the most important thing I have learned is that He is with me, all the way. He is here thru valleys and mountains, thru good times and bad. Two verses that assure me of His presence Isaiah 41:10 and John 14:18. He has promised, I am assured and I am comforted. To me this is more important than the “burning bushes” moments although I do appreciate them they are not the everyday comfort that I need. His assurance of His presence is my comfort. He will be with me even through the “valley of the shadow of death,” as in the twenty third Psalms. David spoke so often of God’s comforting presence.

I am praying for you that you will find His truths and the comfort that comes with His truth. I suggest you read Pilgrim’s Progress: and/or watch the movie. It really is a great encourager for these doubts that crop up. The longer you walk with Him the “sweeter, it grows.” I am praying for you. God bless you.