The Sound Of Silence

“‘Even today my complaint is rebellion; His hand is heavy despite my groaning. Oh that I knew where I might find Him, that I might come to His seat! I would present my case before Him and fill my mouth with arguments. I would learn the words which He would answer, and perceive what He would say to me. Would He contend with me by the greatness of His power? No, surely He would pay attention to me. There the upright would reason with Him; and I would be delivered forever from my Judge. Behold, I go forward but He is not there, and backward, but I cannot perceive Him; when He acts on the left, I cannot behold Him; He turns on the right, I cannot see Him,’” (Job 23:2-9, NASB).

There are times in life when we can identify with Job’s frustration at God’s silence – when we long to hear from the Lord but our petitions go unanswered. Then, feeling unsure of what to do, we think, Should I just give up on prayer? Am I to assume that if the Lord doesn’t come to my aid, I should take matters into my own hands? We might even feel tempted to become consumed with anger toward God.

Though these are normal responses, we should reject all three possibilities. Scripture teaches us to persevere in prayer and depend fully on the Lord for our needs instead of looking to ourselves. This means we can safely submit to God and trust Him in our trials.

The story of Job also offers encouragement – it reminds us that even if the Lord is silent, He knows the way we take, and after He has tried us, we shall come forth as gold. In the meantime, we’re to hold fast to God’s path and wisdom. The more we treasure His Word, the more closely we’ll follow Him in obedience.

Like Job, we don’t know all that the Lord is doing in heaven, but He is always working on our behalf. Be encouraged by these truths today, and keep persevering in prayer.

Jeff