Hey All,
When I think of our lives today and especially our prayer lives, I have to ask: Are we more like a crock pot or a microwave? Technology is certainly great and it enhances our lives but I also believe it has sped up everything we do. Just like the microwave. What used to take 30 minutes now is done in 3 minutes, and because of this I think we expect the same out of our prayer life at times. We just need to layout a good heartfelt request, claim John 15:7 and let the Lord do the rest. Yet sometimes it’s not that easy. At times prayer is like a crock pot where you add all the ingredients, put it on low heat, and let whatever time it takes for all those parts to cook together to become something good. Our human nature plants all those seeds of doubt in our head when we don’t hear or see God at work right away. Yet we know in Deuteronomy 4:29-31 God reminds us that if we search for Him with all are heart and soul ,when we are distressed and things come at us, and we return to the Lord and listen for His voice, that He will not fail us. (paraphrased). So what do we do when the the Lord is silent? When we don’t see the instant results. What is God saying to us?
Is God still at work when we don’t hear His voice or see results?
The Israelite’s for hundreds of years had God speaking directly to them, He was always there when they left Egypt in a pillar of cloud or a pillar of fire. God resided in the tabernacle tent in the Holy of Holy’s room, that only the Levite’s could enter into and speak with God. Later he spoke to the people through the prophets. In the end, the last prophet to speak to the Lord was Malachi. For 400 years after that, God was silent. The Israelite’s had been scattered because of the Assyrians, Babylonians and Persians. The Greek culture and language was being spread throughout the promised land as Alexander the Great conquered. His reign would be surpassed by the Roman culture, until the angel Gabriel spoke to Zacharias foretelling of the birth of John the baptist Luke 1:13. Later Mary would be told of the baby Jesus. Yet God was at work during this whole period in time preparing the world to have one common language, so that when His son Jesus entered the world, His word could be spread. Still many of the Jews had faith during this period of silence, for what did Simeon say when he saw the baby Jesus at the temple to be circumcised? Luke 2:29-32 Simeon was was faithful his whole life waiting to see his savior.
Stretching our faith to grow us
When we don’t hear God or see his action, it can be because God is working to grow out faith and teaching us to trust in Him. I know I say I have faith and yet when challenges arise there still are doubts. Let’s face it that is normal. I thank God for the men and women that stand in the gap reminding me of the faithfulness of God. What a blessing this is and each of us should return the support, to our brothers and sisters, when the Lord is working with us. It’s easy recite Luke 17:6 If you had faith like a mustard seed, you would say to this mulberry tree, be uprooted and be planted into the sea. Yet after going through a difficult time, and seeing how God was at work it strengthens us for the next challenge we face.
Not now but later..
God knows everything about us and wants only the best for us. As parents many times are children will ask us for something and we know that either they are not ready/prepared for what they are asking for or it is not just the best thing for them. God, at times, when we do not hear an answer might be saying the same thing. I know your needs and what you seek is not the best for you at this time. Does he still grant it at times? Yes indeed! Sometimes it’s be careful what you ask for because the blessing you seek may not be what you want in the end but I will save the story about my boat for a later blog.
So to wrap up.
When God is not answering our prayer in a lighting fast manner or we are not feeling a connection to him, it is not a foregone conclusion that HE is not at work in our lives. On the contrary, God is probably working harder and we are just not seeing His plan in action. During those times, we need to seek Him all the more and remember/call upon his promises. Joshua 21:45 says: Not one of the good promises which the Lord made to the house of Israel failed; all came to pass.
Father I pray that you will instill in each one of us the faith to believe in your promises just as Joshua did in the old testament. Paul said in 2 Corinthians 12:10 that when we are weak, we are strong in you Lord. Help each of us to see your plan, hear your voice, and be strong in your word. Amen? AMEN!
image sourced from google images
So true, we always want to see results quickly but we don’t grow that way, God is teaching me this over and over again. Thank you so much, so motivating to be consistent in prayer.
Thanks for this! I am “all-too-well-acquainted” with God’s silence. I believe He is always at work, and He is often speaking, but we aren’t normally tuned in enough to hear His voice. I have hated it when I read God’s word and it seems to deflect right off my heart like it has a shield around it. This last week, even though I spent an entire week reading, listening, praying, meditating – and NOT watching TV, playing a game, etc – it was STILL hard to hear His voice. But I didn’t quit. And I think God has been saying this to me: “When I ‘seem’ silent to you, don’t be silent with Me. When my Word ‘seems’ to deflect off your heart, don’t stop going to My word.”
Anyone else ever struggled with God’s silence? Or when His Word seems to bounce off your heart and not penetrate it?
Odd – I commented a couple days ago, but it never showed up. I will try again.
I can especially relate to the idea of God seeming silent – and having to wait on Him. I have experienced that for a long time! Last week was a great time to try to break through that. God spoke, but not in the way I expected. I was prepared for the “still small voice”, but it was even smaller than I expected. And yet, He spoke.
But what I learned was that He doesn’t want me to stop talking to Him, or reading His Word or spending time with Him when I feel that He is being silent. Because then it will be a self-fulfilling prophecy – He will continue to be silent! I need to persevere and press on and continue to talk to Him and to dive into His Word and seek to listen! Eventually, His Word will break through and speak into our lives.