In the prayer life of a believer, there may come troubling moments when it feels as though God is not responding. This week’s discussion explores the potential causes behind such apparent silence. I encourage you to approach this with an open and prayerful mindset as you follow along. To guide our exploration, we’ll draw from three key passages in the Bible.
The first is Psalm 28:1, which states, “To you I call, O Lord my Rock; do not turn a deaf ear to me. For if you remain silent, I will be like those who descend to the grave.” Similarly, Psalm 83:1 echoes this plea: “O God, do not remain silent; do not turn a deaf ear, do not remain quiet, O God.” Then, Psalm 50:16-22 addresses the ungodly: “But to the wicked person, God says: What right have you to recite my laws or take my covenant on your lips? You hate my instruction and cast my words behind you. When you see a thief, you join with him; you throw in your lot with adulterers. You use your mouth for evil and harness your tongue to deceit. You sit and testify against your brother and slander your own mother’s son. These things you have done, and I remained silent; you thought I was exactly like you. But I now arraign you and set my accusations before you. Consider this, you who forget God, or I will tear you to pieces, with no one to rescue you.”
🤫 When Heaven is Silent: Examining the Silence of God
Dear friends, throughout my life, I’ve listened to numerous sermons, yet few have touched me as deeply as one from more than two decades ago called “God’s Sorrow and Disappointment with His Creation.” The minister based it on Genesis 6:5: “The Lord saw how great the wickedness of the human race had become on the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of the human heart was only evil all the time.” The core of that sermon was God’s choice to eradicate humanity from the planet due to their persistent disregard for His guidance.
Essentially, when God’s teachings fail to transform someone, and they cling rigidly to their own views and behaviors, the outcome is invariably ruin. God’s message didn’t alter Adam and Eve, leading to the ongoing struggles of all humankind. It didn’t reform Cain, who went on to commit the first murder. Even Lot’s daughters, despite encountering angels, remained unchanged by divine words. Likewise, Korah, Dathan, and Abiram ignored God’s instructions and were engulfed alive by the earth, becoming the first to enter hell without passing through death. Scripture records God’s grief in various instances, particularly when His words leave people unmoved. In some cases, however, God might opt for complete silence. Let’s delve into some reasons why He might choose this approach.
One possibility is that God is displeased with you and has withdrawn from you. God selected Saul, crowned him king over His people, and aided him in victories, but Saul’s defiance led God to cut off all communication—through prophets, visions, or dreams. Saul ultimately perished alongside his three sons in a single day. In another case, while Eli and Samuel shared the same space, God spoke only to Samuel because Eli’s actions had angered Him. If you’re no longer sensing God’s voice, it could mean you’ve engaged in behaviors that displease Him, prompting His departure. In such moments, offer this prayer: “Any wrongdoing that deafens my ears or drives God from me, leave my life immediately, in Jesus’ name.”
😔 The Heart of the Matter: When Words Fail to Change Us
Another reason could be that God is indeed communicating, but you’re unable to perceive it. His messages are being sent, yet your spiritual receptivity is out of sync with His. Though God speaks, if something in your life hinders your ability to hear, it mimics silence—even as He continues. Many followers excel at speaking in prayer but lack skill in attentive listening. Christians often master vocal expression while neglecting receptiveness. In today’s noisy world, achieving true quietude is challenging, which is why some seek retreats to escape distractions and foster an environment conducive to hearing God. As 1 Samuel 3:1 notes, “The boy Samuel ministered before the Lord under Eli. In those days the word of the Lord was rare; there were not many visions.”
There could be worrying occasions in a believer’s prayer life when it appears that God is silent. Our message this week focuses on the possible reasons this may be so. I therefore would like you to open your hearts as you prayerfully read along.
📖 Our Working Tool: Three Scriptural Appeals
The cry against God’s silence is a recurring theme in the Psalms. The writers understood the danger of a divine silence.
Psalm 28:1 (KJV)
“Unto thee will I cry, O Lord my rock; be not silent to me: lest, if thou be silent to me, I become like them that go down into the pit.”
Psalm 83:1 (KJV)
“Keep not thou silence, O God: hold not thy peace, and be not still, O God.”
These psalms represent a heartfelt plea for God to speak, to act, to make His presence known. But there is another side to His silence, as seen in Psalm 50.
Psalm 50:16-22 (KJV)
“But unto the wicked God saith, What hast thou to do to declare my statutes, or that thou shouldest take my covenant in thy mouth? Seeing thou hatest instruction, and casteth my words behind thee… These things hast thou done, and I kept silence; thou thoughtest that I was altogether such an one as thyself: but I will reprove thee, and set them in order before thine eyes. Now consider this, ye that forget God, lest I tear you in pieces, and there be none to deliver.”
This passage reveals a silence of forbearance that can be mistaken for approval. God’s silence is not always a passive absence; sometimes, it is a active period of gathering evidence before a righteous judgment.
Beloved, I have heard many sermons in my life, but very few were as moving as the one I heard over 20 years ago titled, “God’s lamentation and failure over His creatures.” The preacher took his text from Genesis 6:5-6 (KJV):
“And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And it repented the Lord that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart.”
The summary of that particular message was God’s decision to wipe off man from the surface of the earth as a result of man’s refusal to hearken to His voice. So once the words of God does not change a person and the person stubbornly sticks to his opinions and ways, the end is always destruction.
This pattern is seen throughout Scripture:
- The word of God did not change Adam and Eve.
- The word of God did not change Cain.
- The word of God did not change Lot’s daughters though they received angelic visitation.
- Korah, Dathan and Abiram also refused to be changed and were swallowed alive.
God laments when His words do not change men. However, God may even choose not to speak at all.
🔍 Two Primary Reasons for God’s Silence
1. 🚫 When He Has Withdrawn Due to Disobedience
It was God that chose Saul, installed him as king, and helped him win his battles. But he disobeyed God, and God refused to have any further dialogue with him.
The verbatim account in 1 Samuel 28:6 (NIV) confirms this tragic state:
“He inquired of the Lord, but the Lord did not answer him by dreams or Urim or prophets.”
Eli and Samuel were sleeping in the same environment, but God chose to speak to Samuel because Eli’s activities had evoked His displeasure. So when you are not hearing again from the Lord, you probably have started doing some things which have evoked His displeasure.
📌 Prayer Point:
“Any sin blocking my ears, any sin scaring God away from me, depart from my life now, in the name of Jesus.”
2. 📻 When He is Speaking, But We Cannot Tune In
He is talking, but somewhere along the line, your own frequency is different from His own. If God is speaking to you and, for some reasons, something is in your life blocking you from hearing Him, it is as if He is silent—but He is speaking. You just cannot pick it up.
Most believers are very good at talking, but their ability to listen is under-developed. In the present world, there is so much noise, and to be truly silent is very hard. This is the reason some people go for retreats.
This condition is described in 1 Samuel 3:1 (KJV):
“And the child Samuel ministered unto the Lord before Eli. And the word of the Lord was precious in those days; there was no open vision.”
The problem wasn’t that God had stopped speaking forever; it was that the spiritual atmosphere was clouded. It took a young, attentive heart like Samuel’s to hear the voice that was still speaking.
💡 How to Respond
- Examine Your Heart: Honestly ask the Holy Spirit to reveal any unconfessed sin or pattern of disobedience (Psalm 139:23-24).
- Cultivate a Listening Posture: Create quiet spaces in your day. Reduce the noise. As Charles Spurgeon advised, verbatim:
> “Be silent that you may hear the whispers of God.” - Persist in Prayer: Continue to cry out like the Psalmist, trusting that He hears even when He seems silent.
33When it was noon, darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon. 34At three o’clock Jesus cried out with a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” which means, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” 35When some of the bystanders heard it, they said, “Listen, he is calling for Elijah.” 36And someone ran, filled a sponge with sour wine, put it on a stick, and gave it to him to drink, saying, “Wait, let us see whether Elijah will come to take him down.” 37Then Jesus gave a loud cry and breathed his last. 38And the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. 39Now when the centurion, who stood facing him, saw that in this way he breathed his last, he said, “Truly this man was God’s Son!”
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