👆Click and listen to this training as you get ready or drive somewhere.
In our journey of seeking God’s guidance, we often encounter periods where, despite our best efforts to listen, God seems silent. These times can be disconcerting, especially when we’re facing uncertainty and desperately seeking direction. However, God’s silence is not His absence. Rather, it’s an invitation to deeper faith and trust.
Throughout Scripture, we see examples of God’s apparent silence. Job endured immense suffering, crying out to God without receiving an immediate response (Job 30:20, NIV). Even Jesus, in the garden of Gethsemane, experienced a moment of seeming divine silence as He faced His impending crucifixion (Matthew 26:36-46, NIV). Theologian Os Guinness offers insight into this phenomenon:
“God’s silence is not necessarily God’s absence, nor is it necessarily God’s anger, absence, distance, displeasure, or indifference. God’s silence is God’s otherness made manifest.” [1]
This perspective reminds us that God’s ways and thoughts are higher than ours (Isaiah 55:8-9, NIV). It’s crucial to distinguish between God’s silence and His absence. Silence suggests a temporary pause in communication, while absence implies God has left us—something He promises never to do (Hebrews 13:5, NIV).
God’s silence often serves a profound purpose in our spiritual lives. It can:
As gold is purified by fire, our faith is often purified in the crucible of divine silence (1 Peter 1:7, NIV). Consider the metaphor of a long winter. In nature, winter may seem lifeless, yet it’s a time of essential rest and preparation. Beneath the cold, dormant earth, roots grow deeper, and seeds prepare for the burst of life in spring.
Similarly, when God seems silent, it might feel like a spiritual winter. However, during these times, God is at work beneath the surface, deepening our faith and preparing us for a new season of growth.
St. John of the Cross, a 16th-century mystic, described these periods as the “dark night of the soul,” viewing them as opportunities for spiritual growth and deeper union with God.2 These “dry spells” strip away our reliance on feelings and teach us to trust God’s unchanging nature and promises.