The Silence of God

Welcome to worship this morning. We come together with all of our questions, hopes, and struggles, trusting that God meets us in this place.

Today, we gather like Job, seeking God’s presence even when He feels distant. Together, we will lift our voices, hearts, and lives to the Lord, trusting in His steadfast love."

Gracious God, we gather today with hearts full of questions and, at times, doubts. Like Job, we long to understand Your ways but often find ourselves in the dark. Yet, we trust that You are near, even when we cannot feel Your presence. Help us to be honest before You in our struggles and to trust Your goodness in every circumstance. Open our hearts today to receive Your peace and courage, knowing You walk with us every step of the way. In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen.

There are moments in life when our faith is tested in ways we never imagined. The silence of God can be deafening.

In today’s reading from Job, we encounter a man who feels forsaken. Job’s cries echo those of Psalm 22: "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" It’s a cry familiar to many of us when we face our own dark nights of the soul—those seasons when God seems distant, when prayers seem unanswered, and when all we feel is silence.

So, what do we do when God seems silent? How do we hold on to faith when the very presence of God feels absent?

Job’s story is not just an ancient one; it’s a reflection of a universal human experience. Job, a righteous man who has lived faithfully, finds himself in a place of utter despair. He searches for God, cries out for justice, and longs for an encounter, but all he feels is silence.

In Job 23, we hear the pain of a man who says, "If only I knew where to find Him; if only I could go to His dwelling!" (Job 23:3).

Job desires an audience with God, but he feels like God is hidden. In verses 8-9, he says, "But if I go to the east, He is not there; if I go to the west, I do not find Him. When He is at work in the north, I do not see Him; when He turns to the south, I catch no glimpse of Him." Job searches in every direction but finds no answer, only silence.

How often do we find ourselves in similar situations? When illness strikes, when a loved one is taken too soon, when disaster uproots our lives—like the devastation of a hurricane or a terminal diagnosis—we search for God, longing for a word, a sign, anything that would assure us He is still with us. And yet, in those moments, we too often feel silence.

We are not alone in this experience. Even Jesus, in His greatest hour of suffering, experienced the silence of God. On the cross, He cried out, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" (Matthew 27:46). It is a haunting cry, one that reminds us that even the Son of God knew what it was to feel abandoned.

Yet, this cry is also a profound act of faith. Jesus, quoting Psalm 22, cries out not in disbelief, but in profound vulnerability, expressing both His anguish and His trust in God’s ultimate plan. Jesus understood the mystery that sometimes God’s silence does not mean His absence. Sometimes God’s silence is not the end of the story.

What do we do when the answers don’t come, when the suffering doesn’t end, when the diagnosis doesn’t change, or when the hurricane leaves only destruction in its wake?

First, we acknowledge that suffering is part of the human experience. As Christians, we are not immune to the harsh realities of this world. We live in physical bodies subject to illness, pain, and death. But there is a difference between how the world handles suffering and how we, as people of faith, are called to endure.

In 1 Peter 4:12-13, we are reminded: "Dear friends, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that has come on you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice inasmuch as you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when His glory is revealed."

We are not immune to the physical realities of life—disease, death, and sorrow affect all of us. But as people of faith, we are called to view suffering differently. Faith teaches us that God is still with us, even when He is silent.

Silence can feel unbearable, but it is often in the silence that God is doing His deepest work in us.

This is what Job begins to understand as he wrestles with his own suffering. He cannot see God, but in a powerful declaration of faith, Job says: “But He knows the way that I take when He has tested me, I will come forth as gold." (Job 23:10).

Even though Job cannot find God, he realizes that God has never lost sight of him. God sees him, even in the wilderness. This truth strengthens Job to endure the silence, because he believes that God is using this suffering to refine him, like gold tested in the fire.

But let’s be honest: living in the silence is hard. Job still trembles at the thought of what might come next. His fear, his terror, his grief—they are real. Yet even in his fear, Job chooses to believe that his suffering has a purpose, even if it is a purpose hidden from him.

What about us? How do we respond when God seems distant and silent? Do we abandon our faith in the wilderness, or do we, like Job, hold onto the belief that God sees us, even when we cannot see Him? This is where the testing of our faith comes into play. It is easy to trust God when the path is clear, but true faith holds on even when the way is shrouded in darkness.

This is the “dark night of the soul” that so many Christians throughout history have experienced—those seasons when God seems to withdraw, and we are left with nothing but our own pain and questions. The saints, like Job, do not turn away from God in these moments. Instead, they press deeper into the silence, trusting that God is still present even in the absence of clear answers.

Suffering, when faced with faith, can lead to transformation. It can deepen our trust in God, who sometimes allows us to walk through the fire so that we might emerge purified and stronger in spirit. As Paul says in Romans 5:3-4, "We also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope."

So, how do we hold on to faith when God seems silent? We hold on to the promise that God is still with us, even when we cannot hear Him. We trust in His faithfulness, even when our circumstances seem to scream otherwise. We look to Jesus, who endured the cross and the silence, knowing that the silence was not the end.

We also hold on to the community of faith. When you are in the wilderness of silence, you do not need to walk alone. Lean on those around you, let others pray when you cannot find the words, and trust that the body of Christ will carry you through.

And finally, we learn to listen in the silence. Sometimes, God’s silence is not an absence but an invitation—to be still, to listen, to trust.

As we leave today, remember this: God may be silent, but He is never absent. Job’s story reminds us that even in the darkest times, God is still working, still present, even if we cannot always feel Him. Jesus’ cry from the cross reminds us that God’s silence is not the end of the story. Beyond the silence is resurrection, hope, and new life.

When God seems silent, hold on. Trust that He is with you. And know that in time, the silence will break, and you will hear His voice again.

Amen.