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Through the Bible, we have learned about God who hears our prayers and answers them. But sometimes, no matter how much we pray, it feels like God does not say anything. Today, we are going to learn what we should do when God is silent. When we read the Bible, we can find many times when God did not answer people’s prayers right away. Sometimes, God was silent for a long time.
But usually, we hear many sermons that say, “Pray, and God will surely answer you.” So when we pray and it feels like God is not answering us, we can be surprised, confused, and even troubled.
How about you? If you have never experienced a time when God seemed silent, please raise your hand. I think there will be no one. We all experience this. But sadly, churches do not often teach us about this side of God. Of course, there are times when we pray again and again, but God does not answer our prayers.
Now, we are going to look at one case from the Old Testament and one case from the New Testament about the silence of God.
In the Old Testament, there are many godly people who experienced great suffering and pain. Brothers and sisters, when you think about someone who suffered greatly, who comes to your mind first? Yes, that’s right. Job also experienced God’s silence in the midst of suffering.
Let’s take a look at Job 30:20. It says, “I cry out to you, God, but you do not answer; I stand, but you merely look at me.”
Job lost everything without knowing why. He kept asking God, “Why did this happen to me?” But God did not answer for a long time. For Job, the most painful thing was not only his suffering, but also the fact that God was silent. Job kept crying out to God. But God did not answer. God’s silence was very difficult for Job. He felt as if God had turned away from him. He felt as if God had abandoned him.
Job was truly a man of God. He was blameless and upright. He feared God and shunned evil. However, bad things kept happening to him. Well, we hear people say bad things happen to good people. Even though Job lived in obedience to God, a terrible and horrible tragedy came upon him. Job honestly poured out his heart to God and continued to seek God. Here we can learn one important thing about God’s silence. Just because God does not answer us does not always mean that we have sinned or done something wrong.
Sometimes, even when we sincerely seek God and pray to Him, God may remain silent for a long time. Then, why does God remain silent? To be honest with you, I have no idea. Oftentimes, I don’t understand God. But in the end, God appeared to Job, and Job made this confession. Let’s turn to Job 42:5. It says, “My ears had heard of you but now my eyes have seen you.”
For a long time, Job asked God many questions. “Why do I have to suffer like this?” “God, why don’t you answer me?” Job kept asking these questions.
But God did not answer these questions right away. God did not give him an easy answer. Job suffered for a long time without knowing why. Finally, God appeared and spoke to Job.
God’s silence was a very difficult time for Job. But after that time, Job came to know God more deeply than before. Sometimes, we also experience times when God seems to be silent.
We pray, but there is no answer. Sometimes, we feel as if God has turned away from us. But God’s silence does not mean that God is absent. Even when we don’t understand what is happening, God is still working. So, when God is silent, do not give up on God. Keep seeking God. Keep praying. And wait patiently for God’s time.
Then, who is the person in the New Testament who experienced the greatest suffering and also experienced God’s silence? Yes, that’s right. It is our Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus is the Son of God. He was not just any son. He was God’s one and only Son. And yet, Jesus was forsaken by God, His Father. Jesus was experiencing the greatest pain a human being could experience. He was hanging on the cross. And God the Father seemed to turn away from Him. God was silent when Jesus prayed. Jesus cried out from the cross. Let’s turn to Matthew 27:46. It says, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” On the cross, Jesus cried out to His Father, but there was no immediate or visible answer. Instead, the silence continued. And Jesus died.
Here we see a very important mystery of our faith. At the very moment when God seemed to be silent, God was doing His greatest work of salvation. From a human point of view, God’s silence looks like failure. When God does not answer our prayers, we may feel like we have failed.
From a human point of view, Jesus also looked like a failure. Why? Because He died without establishing God’s kingdom on earth. And He did not just die. He died on the cross, the most painful and shameful death a person could experience. But from God’s point of view, God’s silence was the fulfillment of His promise and the success of His plan.
God saw His Son hanging on the cross, but He did not intervene. He let it happen. He remained silent. Jesus died, and through His death, we were saved from sin and death. Our sins were paid for. Jesus died on Friday, and God’s silence continued until Sunday morning. Then, on the third day, Sunday morning, Jesus rose from the dead. Through His resurrection, God completed His work of salvation.
Now, let’s look at today’s passage. Psalm 77 shows us how a person of faith can get through a very difficult time when it feels like God is silent. Let’s start with verse 1. It says, “I cried out to God for help; I cried out to God to hear me.”
The psalmist cried out loud. He did not pray quietly. He cried out to God and asked Him to help him. Brothers and sisters, let’s cry out together like this: “God, please help me! God, please save me! God, I’m dying! God, please listen to me! God, I’m dying!”
This is how the psalmist prayed. Now let’s move on to verse 2. “When I was in distress, I sought the Lord; at night I stretched out untiring hands, and I would not be comforted.”
Whether we believe in Jesus or not, we all go through difficult times. We all have moments of trouble and crisis. And that is when we can see whether we really have faith or not. If we have faith, who do we look for? That’s right. We look for God.
But if we don’t have faith, we cannot look for God even when life is very difficult. Why? Because if we do not know God, how can we look for Him? So, isn’t it a great blessing that we can look for God when we are in trouble? Yes, it’s a blessing.
The psalmist raised his hands at night and prayed. The Bible says that he did not stop raising his hands. This means that he kept praying for a long time—maybe for one hour, maybe for two hours. Strangely enough, pain often feels worse at night. His pain was so great that even holding his hands up for one or two hours was nothing compared to his suffering. He was in so much pain that no words of comfort could make him feel better.
Let me read verses 3 and 4. “I remembered you, God, and I groaned. I meditated, and my spirit grew faint. You kept my eyes from closing; I was too troubled to speak.”
We can see that the psalmist was in a situation that he could not solve by his own strength or effort. It felt like all the doors were closed. He did not know what to do.
In verse 3, we see that the psalmist thought about God in this situation. But peace did not come to his heart right away. Instead, he sighed deeply. Why?
Maybe deep inside, he was saying, “God, I am having such a hard time right now. God, what are you doing? Where are you? Please, say something to me.”
And he became more and more exhausted. The Bible does not say that a person with strong faith is always peaceful and never has any doubts. Even the psalmist, a man of faith, experienced a time when his heart was breaking because God seemed to be silent.
In verse 4, we see that the psalmist could not sleep. At night, we often have more thoughts. We start imagining all kinds of things. “What am I going to do about this?” And the psalmist was in so much pain that he did not even know what to say to God.
Let us move on to verse 5. Let’s read it for you. “I thought about the former days, the years of long past.” The psalmist prayed, but there was no answer. Nothing changed. He felt as if God had turned away from him. At that moment, he stopped looking only at his present situation. He began to remember what God had done in the past. “How did God help me back then? How did God make a way for me back then? How has God led me until now?” Brothers and sisters, when God seems to be silent for a long time, the first thing we need to do is remember what God has done for us. Amen!
Now, let’s read verses 6 through 9. “I will remember my song in the night. My heart meditated and my spirit asked: Will the Lord reject forever? Will he never show his favor again? Has his unfailing love vanished forever? Has his promise failed for all time? Has God forgotten to be merciful? Has he in anger withheld his compassion?”
Verses 6 through 9 show the psalmist looking back at the past and continuing to ask God questions. He thinks about the past. He tries to remember how God worked in his life before.
And then he asks some very deep questions. “Will you reject me forever? Will you never show your favor again? Has your unfailing love ended forever?” Asaph has been experiencing God’s silence for so long that he feels as if God has abandoned him. But there is something very important here. Even though Asaph asks these questions, he does not leave God. Instead, he keeps asking God questions. He keeps looking for God.
Now, let’s read verses 10 and 11. “Then I thought, ‘To this I will appeal: the years when the Most High stretched out his right hand. I will remember the deeds of the Lord; yes, I will remember your miracles of long ago.’”
In verses 7 through 9, Asaph asks questions because he is beginning to doubt God’s faithfulness. But in verse 10, his thinking begins to change. He says something like this: “No. I am thinking the wrong way. I am going through a very difficult time, and that is why I feel this way. Now, I will remember the right hand of the Most High. I will remember the wonderful things God has done in the past.”
Brothers and sisters, when we experience God’s silence, the first thing we need to do is remember how good God has been to us until now. Remember the good things God has done for you. Remember the good memories. This helps keep our faith strong. Remembering God’s goodness and His unfailing love is very important. When bad things happen, when difficult things happen, and when one problem comes after another and our lives are shaken, we need to remember God’s grace even more.
Lastly, let’s read verse 12. “I will consider all your works and meditate on all your mighty deeds.” The psalmist thinks about everything God has done in the past. He does not remember only one or two things God has done for him. He remembers “all the works of God.”
In the same way, brothers and sisters, when God seems to be silent for a long time, I want you to remember everything God has done in your life. Take your eyes off the problems you are facing now. And turn your eyes to what God has done for you until now. Then, repeat those things quietly. Remember how God has led you in the past. Remember the grace God has given you. As you quietly repeat God’s grace, your pain, fear, worries, and doubts will begin to fade. And your trust in the faithfulness of God will become stronger. Let us pray.
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