WHEN GOD IS SILENT
Job 30: 16-22
Habakkuk 1: 1-13

           I’m going to start by making three assumptions. I know the dangers in assuming, but I’m pretty sure I’m safe with these. The first assumption is this: we have all, at some point, prayed. All of us, I’m guessing, have turned to God in prayer at one point or another. The second assumption is this: most, if not all, of us have experienced the joy of answered prayer; we have experienced the joy of God answering our prayers. The third assumption is this: all of us have, at some point, felt that God did not answer us —that God remained silent, in spite of our cries and groans. There have been healings that didn’t happen, lives that weren’t spared, jobs not offered, etc. When those moments occur, we find ourselves asking a question that is as old as faith itself: Why do prayers to God go unanswered? Why does God sometime seem silent?

           Although it might feel like it at times, we are not the only ones to feel as if God has ignored us. Scripture is full of stories of unanswered prayer. Moses prayed that he might be the one to lead Israel into the Promised Land; that prayer went unanswered. In 2 Corinthians, we read of Paul describing what he calls a “thorn in is flesh”; three times, he prayed that God would remove it from him. That prayer went unanswered. In the gospels, we read of Jesus, the very Son of God, in agonizing prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane. He was so desperately praying that there might be another way to God’s plan other than Jesus’ torture and death; again, that prayer goes unanswered. As we turn to our readings today, we see two other examples of people asking why God is being silent. Job, after going through his immense suffering, wonders why God has left him alone. Habakkuk wonders why God has stood by and watched the righteous be overrun and the wicked continuing to prosper (the classic, “why do bad things happen to good people” question!). Why does God remain silent here? Why does God remain silent with us?

           Perhaps a first clue as to why God sometimes appears silent is the human misunderstanding or misuse of prayer. Like it or not, human beings have a tendency to turn prayer into a selfish endeavor; we pray based on what we want and think we need. One contemporary theologian has gone as far as to assert that “our prayers often reduce God to a cosmic bell-boy who is there to serve us”. We believe God’s purpose is to answer our prayers; in other words, give us what we want! The reality, though, is that true prayer is centered on God and God’s glory. A selfish prayer from a human is really no prayer at all. A true prayer, though, seeks to see things with the eyes and the heart of God.

           Some of you might be thinking (and I’m thrilled if you are!), “wait a minute; a few months ago, we said God invites us to ask for what we want”! Right you are! We are invited to make our wants and wishes known to God. HOWEVER, the issue arises when we expect that God is just going to do as we wish. There is a huge difference between asking and expecting. Asking is just the beginning of the conversation; it opens us to the mind of God and allows God to speak to us. Expecting closes us from the mind of God and closes us from receiving any answer other than the one we want. The goal of prayer is to move us into a greater sense of God and God’s will for us and the world. We have the promise that our prayers will be heard, but we have no promise they will be answered the way we want or demand.

           Another reason why God sometimes seems silent is that our prayers are blocked by unbelief. Now…I AM NOT accusing anyone of not believing or questioning anyone’s level of faith. What I am saying, though, is that, for some, prayer is nothing more than an empty ritual —something to be done when it is needed in order to achieve a desired result. I read a story a while back about an event that occurred during World War II. General George Patton was preparing a rescue operation for American soldiers trapped behind enemy lines. In order for this operation to succeed, though, optimal weather conditions were needed. In the days leading up to the planned beginning, the weather was less than optimal. Patton then went to one of his staff chaplains and asked if there was some sort of prayer for the weather. Not finding one in his resources, the chaplain soon wrote one. Immediately, the general had 250,000 copies of this prayer printed and distributed, along with the order that each soldier was to pray this leading up to the rescue effort. Well, the day of the operation dawned with perfect conditions and the operation was a success. One of those soldiers kept that prayer with him after he returned home from war—eventually, though, he concluded that the prayer didn’t really “work”. He had prayed it beside his mother’s deathbed and beside his wife’s deathbed, and on his own deathbed. His rationale was that since God hadn’t answered every time he uttered this prayer, then God wasn’t listening. His trust in the words of the prayer, rather than the power of the prayer had blocked him from hearing what God might have to say to him. We are encouraged, in Scripture, to ask in faith and not in doubt; the doubter is simply blown about the wind and finds no answer to the questions they have.

           Finally, God seems silent to us because the time is just not right for our prayers to be answered. I know that sounds trite and it does little to offer comfort to those who are crying out to God. We forget, though, that our time is not God’s time; when we want something, we want it NOW, but God is the One in charge. As a result, that which we interpret as unanswered prayer is merely prayer than hasn’t been answered yet. Admittedly, there are times when God’s answers just don’t come quickly enough for us. I think God understands that. I think that’s where God assures us of having “peace that passes all understanding”.

           So often, God gets labeled as a failure, a fraud, or non-existent when our prayers go unanswered the way we want. It is a struggle to come to grips with the idea just because we pray something doesn’t mean we will get it at that moment. Some of us may be going through a time right now where we feel God is silent. Let me encourage you by saying that your prayers are heard and leave you with this verse from Romans: “we know that in all things God is working for the good of those who love God and are called according to God’s promise. God is always working for our good, even when it seems like God is silent. AMEN.

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