When God Seems Silent

By Dean Collins

What do you do when God doesn’t give you an answer to your prayers? Or maybe the harder question is, what do you do when you don’t like the answer God gives you? If you live long enough, you will certainly have to deal with these questions.

The prophet Habakkuk’s short, prophetic book may give us an example of how to approach the moments when God is seemingly absent, or his answers aren’t exactly what you had hoped, even after hours of frequent and earnest prayers.

The three chapters of Habakkuk are a long, rich, and possibly even frightening conversation between Habakkuk and God. The prophet is concerned for Judah. Yes, they had been disobedient, but the prophet thought that God was being too harsh in what he was allowing to happen to his chosen people. Habakkuk was shocked that God would allow the Babylonians to take control of God’s people. But that is the thing the prophet didn’t understand, and it is likely what we fail to understand, too. God isn’t letting evil take over when we experience hard times.

There is always more to God’s grand story than we could possibly imagine. Injustices do happen. Illness does come, and it even sometimes leads to death. Sometimes, it seems the wrong side wins a critical battle or even an election. Yet God remains sovereign, and he will accomplish his plans for us and for all of humanity.

When we get to the last few verses of Habakkuk, we see a shift in the prophet’s attitude. The last three verses of the book demonstrate not only that God was at work with his master plan, but that He was also refining and shaping Habakkuk’s heart and mind. The prophet moved from argument to surrender. His declaration in verses 17-19 is one worth printing and memorizing.

You may be in one of those tough moments today. It is absolutely okay and even appropriate that you talk to God about all of your concerns and frustrations. He will not be offended by how you feel or by what you think. But know that as hard as today might be, God has not abandoned you. God has not forgotten your needs. And you might not yet see how everything works out, but you can trust that God is working.

I have found that over the years, I have been frustrated and anxious many times with what God seemed to have missed in dealing with some situation. Yet time and time again, I have found that if I continue to pray and trust God, I discover what Habakkuk discovered. Even in the darkest hour, when all seems lost, if I still come to the Father with surrender and praise, He always stirs joy in my heart. It might be little by little, but then I notice that suddenly – sometimes out of nowhere – I find my weak legs strengthened, and I can move forward trusting that God is about to do something bigger and better than anything I could imagine. Trust me… you can trust Him in every situation!

Father, today we acknowledge that there are so many things in the country and throughout the world that seem out of control. We confess that they are out of our control. But today, we choose to place all of our hope in you, even when we see barrenness around us. Today, we choose to rejoice in You. Today, we acknowledge you as Lord and as our strength. Give us strength to rise above our concerns as we put our eyes on you and wait for your perfect plans to finally be realized. In Jesus's name, amen.

Your Time with God’s Word
Habakkuk 3:17-19 ESV

Photo by Jo Jo on Unsplash
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