God’s Thundering Silence

My God, my God, why have You forsaken me? Far from my deliverance are the words of my groaning. O my God, I cry by day, but You do not answer; and by night, but I have no rest.

–Psalm 22:1–2

If God wants the whole world to know Him, then why doesn’t He reveal Himself to everybody through supernatural signs? Why doesn’t He speak to us audibly so we understand what He wants us to do? Why doesn’t He answer our prayer requests with a definite yes or no instead of allowing us to flounder in a fog of uncertainty?

If you’ve ever wrestled with those questions, then you’re not alone. For centuries, men and women of faith have wrestled with what theologians call the hiddenness of God–or what I like to call God’s thundering silence. Think about Noah. God told Noah and his family to enter the ark while He destroyed the earth with a flood. While they were inside the ark, more than a year elapsed during which there is no record that God ever spoke to Noah. I imagine Noah and his family called out to God, “Have You forgotten about us?” But God answered with silence.

Or think about Abraham. When he was seventy-five, God promised to make him the father of a great nation. Yet more than a decade passed, and there was no word from God. Finally, Abraham and Sarah decided to take matters into their own hands. They concocted a plan to make Abraham a father through Hagar, Sarah’s handmaiden. Genesis 16:16 says Abraham was eighty-six years old when Hagar gave birth. Then Genesis 17:1 says Abram was ninety-nine years old when God appeared to him again. That’s another thirteen years during which God said nothing to Abraham.

Or think about Jesus Christ Himself. He obeyed God perfectly. He submitted to God’s will for His life. Yet as He hung on the cross, Jesus cried out, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” (Matthew 27:46). Jesus, the perfect Son of God, spent the last hour of His earthly life experiencing great discouragement, dismay, and disappointment with God.

Maybe that’s your experience too. You’re disappointed with God for the way He has chosen not to act in your life. You desperately want Him to intervene in a crisis you’re facing, or you’re desperately seeking His will about a decision you have to make. Yet God meets your cries for help with silence.

Why doesn’t God always answer our requests? This week, we’re going to discover four reasons the Bible gives for God’s thundering silence in our lives.

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Today’s devotion is adapted from “God’s Thundering Silence” by Dr. Robert Jeffress, 2008.

Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. www.lockman.org.