The Silence of God . . . Or Is It?

            Many of us report from time to time that we can no longer hear God in our lives. He seems like a million miles away and is not listening to our pleas in times of trouble or sorrow. We feel disconnected, even angry, waning in our faith.

            We relate to the time during the crucifixion when Jesus cried, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” which means, “My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?” [Matthew 27:45]. We cry out in our times of desperation, too, thinking we are abandoned and alone.

            Is it possible to reach a point in our sorrow, a place so deep and silent, that we cannot hear? Perhaps our own internal silent room, like the anechoic (meaning free from echo or intending to deaden sound)  quiet chamber at the Orfield Laboratories in south Minneapolis.

            This internal place of silence is so secluded, so deep within the core of our beings, it can only be shared with God, and God hears us best from there. 

What we perceive as unanswered prayer or silence may very well be a place of safety; safe because we are too afraid to let go of where we are or to embrace yet an unfamiliar change. A place for our own protection and for that of our greater good and the glory of God. 

Change and life take place according to God’s plan, not ours. Therein lies the frustration and our perception of silence. We long for comfort, not pain.

            But we are promised this in Romans 8:14,17:

“For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God. And since we are His children, we are His heirs. In fact, together with Christ we are heirs of God’s glory. But if we are to share His glory, we must also share His suffering.”

            We share our suffering with Jesus. It is our common bond with our Lord and a necessary part of our journey if we are to share the glory. We continue to pray because of our faith. We still believe that He is there, somewhere. And indeed, He is!

            Paul the Apostle writes in Romans 8:38-39, “And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

            I pray to never let go of my faith or my trust in God in times of trouble. I know He will never let go of us! We are loved as proven by Jesus’ suffering on the cross and through the silence we perceive as a meaningless nothing, but rather, perhaps it offers a place of safety, hope, and love because of our Lord.

Bonnie Zickgraf, co-author

Date circa 2019

Bonnie Zickgraf is a retired pastor, author, columnist for The Times, and RN. Send comments and prayer requests to [email protected].