February 24, 2007
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God’s Silence
I ask this as a believer not as an unbeliever:
Why does it appear like God is silent when you need Him the most?
I ask this as a believer not as an unbeliever:
Why does it appear like God is silent when you need Him the most?
Comments (162)
Good question.
Because he’s not real and people are fucktarded for trying to approach a synthetic diety rather than dealing with their problems on their own?
God has his own timing, and it supersedes your own
I think some of it has to do with God is there all the time, and yet He shows himself to us in different ways, and quite often we aren’t listening. The Bible says “be still and know that I am God” and quite often we are running non-stop, and aren’t patient and waiting on Him in hard (or easy) times.
we are supposed to live to serve God’s will not our own. so it shouldn’t frustrate us that we cant have all the answers right now.
“But the greatness of it lies just in the fact that it is a mystery—that the passing earthly show and the eternal verity are brought together in it. In the face of earthly truth, the eternal truth is accomplished.” –The Brothers Karamazov
I think we need Him the most because He is silent.
I guess it’s because you have to trust Him more. When you really need Him is when you really need to be trusting that He’s there even if you don’t sense it. Which probably made no sense, but I know what I’m trying to say.
I wouldn’t know since I don’t really believe in God.
I have not know that to happen, I find he is silent when I don’t want to hear him. That just may be when I most need him.
people say it’s because you’re not listening hard enough…
but i don’t know if thats always true.
because we aren’t always the best listeners.
Or we got the answer and we don’t like it.
God’s timing
“dealing with their problems on their own”
Yeah such as drinking yourself into oblivion. I always the call to “proper thinking” by those that can’t deal with life
I think it is because God has his own timing and it gets you to dig deeper into the Bible and deeper in prayer to find the answers.
“Anyone can hold the helm
when the sea is calm.”
If thou faint in the day adversity,
thy strength is small.
Proverbs 24:10
~*RoXy*~
god does have his own timing…i agree with MCTcanadian
top ten
=]
or maybe not…
whatever… top 20
Well, just because we ask Him for something does not mean that He has that desire for us and gives us free will. As a Christian I have to stay silent with my thoughts about the comments from some of your subscribers.. I do this because I believe in free will..
Being a non-believer, I’d suppose its when your thinking straight enough to not be hearing ‘voices in your head’. When will this belief ever expire, its been centuries and we still believe in ancient science.
I have never had that issue. The Holy Spirit speaks so silently that if you aren’t living accordingly to be in tune with it, you may miss it. God speaks with more than words. He speaks with love, comfort, peace, and other emotions. Most people aren’t looking for His comfort and strength, they are looking to Him to solve every problem so they won’t have to deal with hardships in their lives even though mortality is a testing center to prove that we will believe in God, in His Son, and follow the commandments of His gospel. We can’t do that if there is no opposition, and even though trials do happen, He has promised that He will be there when they do. We may not understand his will or his timing, but He loves us. He will help us when we turn to Him when we are in need. It might not be in the way that we want but it is always in the way that we need the most. He’s never silent. Even when we turn away from Him, he isn’t.
I ask this as a believer too: What are you expecting to hear from Him?
in my experiance, its because i dont listen…
however, on occasion, i just needed to feel desparate, so He didnt say anything until the solution was right in front of me…
yes, it APPEARS that way, but I’m reminded of the poem of the footprints in the sand…that’s when He’s carrying you…and looking back on the times where I thought He abandoned me, I can honestly say that in hindsight, He was there.
I believe that God speaks in these times as well but maybe not in the usual way… our faith is tested and we find the strength that we need
Because we don’t stop and really listen. And we tend to lean on God and want him to speak to us when it suits OUR purpose and not that of His. That’s why we fail to hear what He’s trying to say.
Because when we feel like we need him most, we are shouting and crying and worrying inside. If we would just “be still and know” that He is God, we might could hear that still small voice.
That’s why I don’t ask God for many favours. I figure it’s up to us to solve our problems, rather than wait for divine intervention.
You want to make God laugh, tell him about your plans.
Probably because we decide to not hear him. He will often raise his voice so we can hear him when we are not listening. As such, there are many times when he is talking to us and we simply do not hear him over all of the other noise in our lives.
Hes there, but He wants you to think Hes not there because He wants you to try to figure it out on your own.
God does have his own timing though and it often is not what we would like it to be and he may be waiting for us to figure some things out more on our own so that we learn to go to him and listen to him. That has been the case in my life.
i think that when we are at our neediest- we are less likely to seek Him, that He is not silent- we are not listening.
He’s whispering over our din…
I think the people who have never had this problem are quite lucky, or perhaps they are particularly good at having faith.
I’ve had this problem; I admit I do have trouble with having faith. I guess the following poster has a point:
“Because we don’t stop and really listen. And we tend to lean on God and want him to speak to us when it suits OUR purpose and not that of His. That’s why we fail to hear what He’s trying to say.
Posted 2/24/2007 5:21 PM by CuteMami”
I’ve wondered that myself… I think maybe our emotions dictate how close we feel to God, not how close we actually are. When we’re happy, elated, whatever, we feel closer. When we’re scared or hurt, we feel farther. That’s my theory at least. I think that’s one of those questions that is just not answerable in our human minds. I’ve come to believe that actually knowing God is not a reality. Religion and faith are more mysterious and distant than our emotions tend to make them.
Honestly, it doesn’t seem like God is there at all, ever. When I’m down, sometimes I get lucky and sometimes I don’t. When I’m doing all right, it all seems kinda by chance. There’s just no correlation to things happening, and the idea that God has a plan or a purpose for everything is kinda ridiculous. How can any good that might come from someone dying in a horrible car crash outweigh the pain felt by the victim’s relatives and friends? Even if you can think of a benefit that brings great good, it probably still doesn’t always have that effect. Sometimes things just happen badly, and I don’t believe that any decent god would sit back and let that happen, let alone cause it.
This is one reason why I heart Deism. Check ch-ch-ch-check, ch-check it out.
I just think you cats is wacky, but I won’t go on.
cuz, he answers our prayers and needs according to his will, and not our own.
I.E. someone dies after you pray for their healing…and it’s not the answer you wanted, but it impacts someone in a way to lead them to Christ, and God’s answered in a way that another person is allowed into His kingdom.
I heard Him at lunch today – There was this lil girl at McD’s, leaving past me w/ her Happy Meal toy ion hand about to open it. Her mom said “you have so many toys, why don’t we leave that unopened and put it in the box we’re bringing to te school” – She never flinched – put it in her coat pocket and walked out holding mom’s hand.
unanswered prayers can be gifts- thats why
well..i dont think i should answer that because im a nonbeliver..i’ll keep it to myself!
I don’t know. He always seems to be silent when the matter at hand is really urgent and painful,but for little things like say,finding the car keys(or anything else for that matter),he always comes through right away for me. Maybe it’s bc we don’t talk to him often enough,and once we start praying he wants to let it last for a while.
gina
Because god has better things to do, like play parcheezi with Jesus and Jimi Hendrix
BECAUSE HE’S NOT FUCKING THERE, DAN.
I’ve found that he IS there in the silence. He uses a still, small voice… when we’re making too much noise ourself though, He’s hard to hear.
he streatches out faith and trust in him that way
he’s not, we just need to stop doing things our way and listen to him
This is a good question to ask, Dan, coz of the answers received
I love most of ‘em.
IMO I think that when we are at our neediest points we get all noisy and yell and scream and cry, and that’s why God seems silent. But I know He’s there, definitely.
Because we always bother him while he’s on the crapper.
I went through a period in which I thought God was being silent, but I realized that it was me who had made him silence. I didn’t want him tobe in my life, that was why He was “silent”.
Because we fail to listen. Because we cannot hear. Because we do not want to hear. We are too caught up in our lives to… have faith sometimes. I really do not know. God knows, and that is all I need to know.
I don’t believe that I have ever had this happen to me.
God always reveals help for me.
But, I think that God is there for me in rough times by being a great listener, rather than talking.
I always spill my thoughts to Him, and that with my belief that He will pull me out helps me through whatever I am going through.
Good question.
*HUGS*
Sounds like you need a couple…
Ask Job.
We may not be tuned in to His frequency. -He has a small still voice.
don’t know, but i sure need him now and really not getting any help.
He’s too busy playing with his Wii.
ORr listens to me though. HAIL ORR!
What’s wrong Dan? Why do you need “god” now?
I’m not gonna touch this one very hard…
Not even with a 20 foot pole with a fat kid chasing a piece of cake tied on the end of it.
But…because humans are SUPPOSED to figure things out themselves…? Maybe…maybe?
EEP! Don’t bombard me with “Christ Compells You” please!!!
…….random
There have been many, many good responses here.
In my own experience, I have found that when I need to hear from God I’m the one who needs to HEAR. He is speaking, but I ‘m not listening. There may be other things crowding my ears that need to be turned off or tuned out. His Word says clearly and repeatedly that if we call to Him He will answer us. Here are just a few verses to support that belief:
2 Chronicles 7:14
Revelation 3:20
Jeremiah 33:3
Have you ever seen a child trying to get their parent’s attention while mom or pop are loading the grocery cart or dealing with another child or trying to talk on their cell? We are kinda like that parent with God. We are so busy doing other stuff we just cannot hear Him. And, He is a gentleman (unlike a little kid who may scream or kick or yank on us until they get our attention). He won’t force Himself on us. We have to invite Him in, which means making room for Him.
I’ll be praying for you, Brother! I think most, if not all, Believers find themselves in a similar place at least once in their walk. It’s not a fun place to be, but don’t stop walking. Don’t stop following the Leader!
And, for all you folks who replied who claim you don’t believe in God: Give me a break!
Wait! I know! B/cuz he’s busy playing Melt the Polar Ice Caps with Buddha and Cap’n Crunch!
I absolutely love to feel God’s presence and to hear His heart beat (read that poetically and you’ll understand). I love the experiential sense of His glory. But it’s important for us to miss out on that at times in order to deepen our faith in His reality, nature, character, and ways. It could also serve as a reminder to simply live by Scripture – when He’s not speaking it’s because He’s already spoken enough for the current need.
’cause he gives you what you need, not what you think you need
We don’t have enough trust in God. Job turned to God in his hard times, and God answered him. In fact, because of Job’s faithfulness, God blessed him more than before his hard times.
When Paul was in jail he acknowledged God – sang praises to Him. God certainly heard him.
Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.
i haven’t taken the time to read all these people’s answers, although i’m sure most of them are very good.
however, just consider this one thing:
if we understood everything about God, it would make God only as smart as us.
and, personally, I would like God to be a little smarter than me. lol.
If you need prayer don’t be afraid to ask.
Maybe it’s similar to when a parent watches their child struggle with something and wants to go help him/her, but knows that if he sands back, their child will figure it out on their own, and learn a valuable life lesson (which would have been missed if he’d interfered).
I think cotaroba put it pretty well.
Have we really given him chance to speak? Would we truly want to hear?
thats a fallacy, because you’re implying that God speaks when you have no need for him.
btw, this question is a paradox. it doesn’t have an answer.
Well my gran always said “if you havent got something valuble to say don’t say anything at all” = D
I don’t think He is silent, but quiet, and we’re just to loud.
He is with us always, he knows our needs and wants better than we do. He knows the where and when of every single moment of our lives no matter how insignificant they may seem. He’s the one who gives us the strength to do what it is in our hearts and to carry on when we think we couldn’t possibly live another day. He is constantly speaking to us in His own way, we just need to open our eyes, ears, minds and hearts to Him.
God is carrying us at those times, but also sometimes our minds are so busy in prayer, that we forget to listen. Signs appear and we ignore them.
People often think that God must answer them on their terms, that He must prove Himself. He’s GOD; He doesn’t have to prove Himself to anyone, yet the world is FULL of proof that many refuse to see! Also, God repects us, our abilities, and our choices a great deal, meaning that He oftentimes must watch us do stupid things, or to watch things happen to us. This doesn’t mean we have been abandoned; He is ALWAYS with us. In a way, His “silence” is a tremendous sign of His great love for us. If God saved us from every little thing, don’t you think we would just get used to it, that God would become this every day common thing instead of this great and beautiful mystery we cannot quite prove or disprove?
because during the times that you are happy, you feel like he IS there because you are happy. think about it.
because we’re asking for the wrong thing.
He is always looking over us.. He sends his angels to comfort our pain and unhappiness when he himself can not help.
I have a hard time believing what I was brought with. That is, Christianity. I have gone from that path now and am on way and where I leads I have no idea.
I have read some of these comments and think that people have a little too much “pie in the sky” philosophy. This is not intended to offend but this is how I feel about such responses as God speaks to us but we don’t listen.
I think the problem may lie in the fact that God may have given us an answer but we don’t accept it. I just remember a saying, “More tears are shed over answered prayers than unanswered ones.”
Or maybe there is no God. Or maybe I’m wrong. The only sure thing is that I have to find my way.
Bad grammar: “I have a hard time believing what I was brought up with, i.e. Christianity. I have gone from that path now and am on my way and where it leads, I have no idea.
When is he loud?
There is also this component called faith.
If the general way someone speaks is through words, has not God already given humanity his word?
Take the Iraelites or the 1st century Xians as examples. Whenever YHWH begins something new, it starts out all flashy and whatnot. As time goes by though, God backs off with all the super-signs and the span between the miraculous grows greater and greater thus providing opportunity for His people to mature in their faith.
God works on His own timetable…He is God afterall we are not…
Humans are WAY to prideful…we think we can put God in a box and tell Him when to speak…everyone should go read the book of Job.
test of faith?
I can’t really answer this question because I’m not God.
I asked myself that question for far too long. Eventually I realized that I should get up off my knees and take charge of my own life.
Same reason you don’t listen to what other people are saying for your own good when you’re involved in something that is your peril…..We close our ears and eyes, then say we didn’t hear…. my thoughts….’til the next
Nonbeliever here.
“”dealing with their problems on their own”
Yeah such as drinking yourself into oblivion. I always the call to “proper thinking” by those that can’t deal with life
Posted 2/24/2007 5:11 PM by trunthepaige“
I have never drank to solve problems. I think about them and put the plans into action. How dare you suggest those who do not believe in God are drunkards. Tsk tsk.
I’m sure God’s always there, in those tough times though, its probably harder to see and feel that way.
Because it’s hard to hear when your soul is in pain.
Because in all honesty, you never “need” him. Life will throw some hard things at you, and the point of life is to deal. God will help sometimes, but sometimes you also need to make things better on your own. That’s what life is. God can’t live life for you.
We only think that He is silent.
God will speak, but we must listen. I agree with ambiguous_dichotomies and cotaroba (comments on the 1st page)
“Because he’s not real and people are fucktarded for trying to approach a synthetic diety rather than dealing with their problems on their own?”
Posted 2/24/2007 5:01 PM by Drakonskyr
Read the note before the question, dolt.
Mayhap it be because he (or she/it; it’s so confusing, isn’t it?) is/was a homicidal maniac?
I’m sorry: I left a few other adjectives out.
Sadistic will describe His (her/it, whatever) Omnipotence. As does hypocrital, vague, and overly depressing and suppressive.
But, hey. He gives great hugs. That’s all we care about, right?
These days…It’s simply a test…A big test we don’t know what exactly for…But we’ll figure it out, it’s probably right under our noses.
Sometimes the words “Peace. Be still” apply less to the storm and more to our nerves. Perhaps it is not silence, but stillness that God has, and it is in that stillness that we truly do find peace. We just need to meet him there.
I’m sorry to break this to you folks…
He’s not listening. If he’s there (and he might very well be), he obviously doesn’t give two shits about any of us or this or anything. Look around. Do you see anything good?
I don’t.
I dont know.
But this reminds me of the “Footprints” poem.
We are assuming that He isn’t listening because we aren’t receiving the expected answer. When we place our human expectations on Him, of course we are going to be disappointed because His desires and purposes and ours are most often at opposite sides of the spectrum. His silence causes us to seek further His perfect purposes and to leave our own behind.
I don’t recall hearing the dude say anything at all. Must be pretty quiet up there.
You know what I hate? when people say “God works in mysterious ways” to overcome the shortcomings in the logic of their religion.
to test your faith. you have to have faith that he knows what he’s doing and that everything will work out in the end because “all things work together for the good of those who love him and are called according to his purpose.” (note “called according to his purpose” means you also have to listen to and obey him as well to get the good stuff)
That’s when true faith come in.
I second Daniel: “Because he’s not real and people are fucktarded for trying to approach a synthetic diety rather than dealing with their problems on their own?” Brilliant.
my atheist side tells me Drakonskyr is right
my catholic heritage says that god has funny ways of working.
i’m leaning more to my atheist side
eh idk
perhaps because it’s harder to listen when you’re going through a hard time.
I think that alot of times God wants us to trust him, even when we don’t hear from him, even when we don’t get our happy endings.
I learned that when my mom got cancer, when my parents lost their jobs, when over the span of a couple years three of my closest female friends revealed that they had been molested as children.
It’s often not until we trust God and let him handle it that he helps us get through it.
God never promised life would be easy or fun if we believed and obeyed in him, but he did promise that he’d always be here for us even when we can’t hear him.
If you or anyone else ever need prayer give me a holler.
Maybe God is thinking of a solution?
As a believer, I can honestly tell you…
…that there’s no answer. I had my heart ripped out and stomped on, and yet God is silent.
If I knew that, I would be God.
No easy answer to this one. I don’t know the mind of God.
I do know that in my own walk, there have been times I thought I needed Him and He was silent. So I struggled on, in pain, lonely, groping in the dark. After a while I found Him beside me again. Looking back now, 20/20 hindsight, I see the times I’ve grown and matured as a person. Almost without fail it was in those times when I didn’t seem to have Him–the times when I was struggling.
Don’t make me use the butterfly-breaking-out-of-its-cocoon metaphor on you, Dan. Don’t make me.
so you will draw nearer to Him and lean on Him…so we won’t act impulsively or on our own wills…basically to learn patience and perserverance…at least that is what i have gotten from those silent moments
And, to all the over-vocal atheists who have echoed Drakonskyr’s statement: I want to thank you for showing me that. Yes, stamping on people’s beliefs when they’re honestly asking hard questions, what graciousness and wit. What enlightened human beings you must be! What examples of the upward evolutionary progress of our species, reaching toward a brighter age of peace!
[/sarcasm]
And people say Christians are narrow-minded.
to test you.
i usually fail those tests…
the book of romans.
sometimes… definitely.
Your question made me think of the prophet Elijah…
“‘The LORD said, “Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the LORD, for the LORD is about to pass by.’ Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire came a still small voice.” 1 Kings 19:11-12
“Still small voice” according to scholars, is more accurately translated as “silence.” God’s voice is in the silence. If you think about it, our daily lives are filled with so much noise, we cannot hear God…who is often in the silence. People assume that God will always speak audibly, or in some powerful and loud way. Thing is…He does not always do what we expect.
His answer may come later, or it could be his answer.”
Sometimes we have to go through trial seemingly on our own to test our faith.
It’s really the same when we don’t need him-we just don’t may attention.
Or maybe we’re listening too hard for an answer when what we need to do is just wait for it calmly?
oh boy…..i’m not even going to go there lol
No, if he wanted to d oeverything for you he would just have been you.
maybe it’s misinterpreted
maybe God really isn’t silent, and he’s there helping you. you just don’t realize it.
or maybe his answer is to just let things flow.
Because we’re not listening to him correctly.
My belief is that there is simply too much noise.
We’re constantly bombarded by sights and sounds. Lights and music. Traffic and distraction.
God whispers. He occasionally shouts.
I don’t hear God all the time but I feel God for most of the time and when I don’t I need a few minutes by myself to pray and collect myself.
There’s too much noise, not enough quiet time.
It’s like the story of Elijah. God says he’s going to speak to him and fire come from heaven, there’s an earthquake, and a tornado. None of that was God. Then God whispered his name.
I don’t really know though.
It’s one of those divine mysteries.
I guess i’ve noticed that a lot of the time i’ve been listening for the answer I want to hear, not that answer He’s trying to give me…if you know what I mean.
Because that’s when our heads are loudest.
Because we only listen when we want something – If you learn to listen all the time his record improves : )
His ways are mysterious and unknown.
The ways He works in are perfect and Just.
I just love the answers here
. Except for some idiots’ answers. Reading them makes me trust in God more. Thanks, people.
It’s my belief that God speaks, just in ways that makes you think or be observant.
So when you’re trapped in your own problem, he talks to you, but only in ways that make you look beyond your own nose.
In order to accurately approach this question, you have to admit, at least for the sake of the argument, that God does in fact exist, and that He has spoken to humanity through the scriptures, the Bible. Many people are not willing to assert that, so if you do not, or can not even pretend to, then I suggest that you read no further on this response. It will not make much sense to you in your worldview.
Another presupposition to this response is that I will consult scripture using a long-lost method of criticism: the historico-grammatico method. Go ahead and google it. You won’t find much about it. This method states that there is authorial intent in both the historical context that it was written and that the words actually do mean what they say. In other words, this is a pre-modern, pre-enlightenment even, way of thinking about a text. If you cannot even, at least for a few minutes, entertain that mindset of interpreting scripture, then stop reading. In other words, with this presupposition I am asserting that truth is not a relative concept (to the individual), but rather it is a universal Truth that all men have instilled in them as part of the “imageo Dei,” or rather the image of God. Works of mankind have intent, and Truth is the deciding factor of what is good or bad. For more on this read Francis Schaeffer’s How Shall We Then Live?.
Finally, there is the issue of the immutability of God which must be addressed, since I am referencing the Old Testament. The God of the Old Testament is still the God of the New Testament in Christian doctrine. Nothing has changed, although many of the minor laws and methods of the Old Testament have been discarded after the coming of Jesus Christ and the coming of the Holy Spirit. This still applies to us today, even though it was written well back into the BC period.
All of that (whew!) having been said, I make my case that the book of Habakkuk treats this subject well. I will use the New King James version of the Bible, which can be found here: NKJV Habakkuk
The book begins with the prophet Habakkuk crying out to the Lord with the exact same question we have set before us: “O LORD, how long shall I cry, And You will not hear?” (1:2) This was a time in Israel which was, as is indicated in the text, full of wickedness and corruption. The best estimate of the time of writing is anywhere from 609-598 BC. Wikipedia gives a decent summary of the historical setting, although Wikipedia is not a primary source at all. Bear with me, it’s already 12:18 in the morning
“It is unknown when Habakkuk lived and preached, but the reference to the rise and advance of the Chaldeans in 1:6-11 places him in the last quarter of the 7th century BC. One possible period might be during the reign of Jehoiakim, from 609-598 BC. The reasoning for this date is that during his reign that the Babylonians were growing in power. The Babylonians marched against Jerusalem in 598. Jehoiakim died while the Babylonians were marching towards Jerusalem and Jehoiakim’s 8 year old son, Jehoiachin resumed the throne. Upon the Babylonian’s arrival, Jehoiachin and advisors surrendered Jeresalem after a short time. With the transition of rulers and the age/inexperience of Jehoiachin, they were not able to stand against Chaldean forces. There is a sense of an intimate knowledge of the Babylonian brutality in 1:12-17.” reference
God finally does answer him after his calling out to God many times. The answer is not one which Habakkuk wants to hear: His entire nation is about to be slaughtered by a ruthless nation, the Babylonians, who are “swifter than leopards” and are “more fierce than evening wolves”.
Habakkuk responds to God with another question. Basically this: How can God send a pagan nation to destroy His own people?
God’s response: It has already been decided. Get out of there now. God’s holiness has been trampled upon for too long, and his patience is gone.
I prefer the Message version of this response:
“Who do you think you are—
inviting your neighbors to your drunken parties,
Giving them too much to drink,
roping them into your sexual orgies?
You thought you were having the time of your life.
Wrong! It’s a time of disgrace.
All the time you were drinking,
you were drinking from the cup of God’s wrath.
You’ll wake up holding your throbbing head, hung over—
hung over from Lebanon violence,
Hung over from animal massacres,
hung over from murder and mayhem,
From multiple violations
of place and people.” Hab. 2:15-17
And the final verse of this passage speaks toward the topic as well in a kind of reverse format (back to the NKJV): “But the LORD is in His holy temple. Let all the earth keep silence before Him.”
Habakkuk’s response paraphrased: If judgment must come, then do not forget mercy. I’ll wait around for the day when the attackers (the instrument of purification, the Babylonians) get what’s coming to them after your judgment.
And, oddly enough, Habakkuk ends the book with a hymn of praise.
So, why is God silent?
I think that the better question to ask is, why are we NOT silent? God is holy, and He cannot tolerate sin. The only way He can tolerate it is by looking on His Son Jesus, who is the propitiation for our sins. Otherwise, His perfect nature demands punishment for sin. If we are truly believers in Christ and have repented of sin and accepted Him as our Lord and Savior (theologically deep territory here, with many presuppositions, but bear with me), then we find ourselves in the “already/not yet” epistemological position of sanctification. In simple terms, God does what is necessary to purify us and make us into instruments better fit for His use and better objects of His glory. Everything glorifies God in the end, just as the natural world does. Who are we, as broken-down sinful beings, to question His means or motives? Even the rebellious nations can be used by God to purify His people.
At the end of this, for the Christian, hardship is viewed from a different perspective since life is a transitory thing. A transition from one life, to the fulfilled, eternal life.
“And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment” – Heb. 9:27.
In conclusion of this matter, I assert that God is holy, and that holiness is indeed his primary attribute. His holiness demands judgment. Christ paid the judgment for us. God’s silence should not be questioned, but faith in His primary Godly traits should be our source of strength. We should praise Him at all times, even when we don’t get the response we are looking for, or when we don’t get a response at all.
Observing your spiritual growth. Though just because he doesn’t *seem* to be with you in troubled times, doesn’t mean that he’s not with you.
Sometimes, God allows pain into our lives so that we may grow closer to him.
’cause it just “appears like it”; no big deal, just perspective
Friggin’ guy has to sleep sometime.
the still small voice…
1Ki 19:11 And he said, Go forth, and stand upon the mount before the LORD. And, behold, the LORD passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and brake in pieces the rocks before the LORD; but the LORD was not in the wind: and after the wind an earthquake; but the LORD was not in the earthquake:
1Ki 19:12
And after the earthquake a fire; but the LORD was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice.
A believer…I’m going through this myself and I’m asking the same quesitons. However, when my feelings are much different and I’m handling things on my own I’m never concerned about whether I “feel” God is talking to me or not. I’ve even thought, “God, if you don’t do one more thing for me or speak one more thing to my heart, it’s okay. You’ve done so much.” Well, now I’m wondering if God is saying, “Oh, really?”
I don’t understand why “non-believing” people respond to questions like this…other than to just be rude and foul-mouthed. If you don’t believe it (i.e. believe in God), why bother commenting? Those types of comments only prove that you have a very limited vocabulary.
The fact that YOU don’t believe in God doesn’t change my belief ONE BIT!!!
Two points (three, really):
(1) God does come through for us many more times than not. God even gives us answers to prayers we never prayed, because He already knows what we need. But we notice it more when the answers are delayed.
(2) God is not a genie in a lamp, who has to come out every time we summon Him. He is a sovereign deity and He’ll come through with an answer at the time that His all-knowing mind determines to be best.
(3) Sometimes God answers our requests with “NO.” It’s up to us to be mature enough to accept no for an answer.
God promised Abraham and Sarah a child, but it was more than 20 years later when Issac was conceived. Daniel made a request of God and God sent an angel right away, but spiritual opposition caused the angel carrying Daniel’s answer to be delayed. Jesus asked that the cup of God’s judgment pass from Him, but Jesus’ request was denied. Paul asked that God remove the “thorn in his flesh” (whatever that means), but God responded that the thorn was there to keep Paul humble, since God had revealed so much to Paul that there was danger of Paul becoming proud on account of his knowledge.
Silly, you don’t know when you need him the most, only he does!
Before I look at any other comments left I’m going to say alot of christian people are going to say ‘becuase he’s testing your faith’ or ‘he is always there and it is a test’ or something.
I just dont like it at all that God doesnt answer me when I want Him to…LOL – He does things on His own schedule… “The Lord is good unto them that wait for Him,to the soul that seeketh him. ” (Lamentations 3:25)
I depend on my faith… and knowing that when I am troubled, there is 1 Corinthians 10:13….
I think that if you listen too hard, you’ll never hear Him.
1. b/c he wants to to have a constant relationship w/ him….so tech you should always we chatty w/ him
2. he wants YOU to grow….so he’s there to guide you, not do everything for you. to help you figure somethings out. have faith in him. not to be impatient and want some instant fix. it’s more about the process of solving than the actual resolution
Because God gives you what you need, not what you think you need
Yeah, I’m with cotaroba. I’m not sure what you’re listening for.
I think a lot of God’s “silence” has to do with what faith is all about: believing in the unseen (though not irrational).
Maybe He’s testing you..
Perhaps He’s not silent- maybe He has answered and His answer is wait.
it is hard to listen when we are screaming. However, there are times when we need to scream. My condolences.
I wish I knew.
I think it’s because he wants you to find your own answers.
because most “believers” only call upon Him when they “need Him most”… believers are supposed to talk to God when they are going through good times and bad, not just bad…
The first thing that came to my mind when I read this was The Story of The Footprints…a very good example…when we think that He is not there that is where He is…Smile
not sure…..i don’t believe in god so my answer is he isn’t actually real
in my opinion its because he doesnt exist..
and if he does…its kind of sad to see everyone suffering and him not doing shit to help.
He wants you to learn to get through it yourself!
Many reasons..one of which is to say he wants us to reach out to him..but if he instantly solves everything the instant it pops up we wouldnt be as fervent to seek him.
People are so stupid. They think being emo and being a slave are totally different things but when you think about it, they are pretty much the same. Emo kids are deprived of all human decency. Kids at school call them names and occasionally beat them up. That’s basically what happened to the slaves. We are slaves only modern. We have food to eat but we are slaves of society. We are constantly tortured by preppy people who think we don’t matter. We are hardworking strong people and you should be inspired by our courage, strength, and determination. We are an amazing group of people and only special people can be emo. Emo is not a style. It’s a death sentence in society. People degrade us and hurt us. We are treated like crap and constantly put down. We are verbally abused and our parents don’t understand us. My parents ask me to wear clothes with color. I tell them I like black. They say I’m just going through a dark phase! This isn’t a phase. Emo is for life and emo people are amazing creatures. We are the modern slaves and we will fight for our rights. We have the heart. We are inspirational to anyone who longs for freedom. I understand what it is like to be a prisoner. I know what the slaves knew. I get made fun of at school. I am misunderstood at home. Therefore I am just like a slave only modern. People need to understand this. Anyway, I like to think of myself as an advocate for emo kids everywhere. For too long we’ve been opressed and now it is time people understand our pain and emotional agony. Our courage should endear you and hopefully we will be freed in the end from our suffering. We are the tortured youth of society and must be released of our anguish. We have been brave, facing stereotypes and name-calling with unimaginable courage and strength. We’ve been ourselves when people told us not to. We’ve expressed our rights even when threatened by soceity. We’ve done outstanding things and will achieve great things. We suffer and we are strong because of it. Sure, we may brood, but we have more pain then anyone else. Maybe even more pain then the slaves. We have been called so many names and you should be proud to be commented by such a remarkable individual. All us emo kids will shine and someday you will all know what amazing people we are. I hope you side with us and turn to our way of things. I know that some people will disagree with my statements and use putdowns, but I will be strong and face these things. I will not write mean comments back but instead accept the fact that some people are just unenligtened fools. Life is emo. Emo is life. Comment!
Posted 2/26/2007 1:16 AM by xemocutterx
You should read No Man is an Island by Merton. A whole chapter is dedicated to it and explained very well.
You must be silent and listen.
Cause we think he actually cares … but in reality he doesn’t
Priorities.
I think that whether you believe in God or not, the silence is a sign that you have the power and capacity to look inside yourself and find your own insight.
as much as I’d love to bash this question, I cannot, for I try and respect all religions, and saying anything against God would be against what I’m trying to do…….