When God Is Silent

In the Lamentation of Job there are forty two chapters and thirty-seven of those chapters is devoted to the lamentation of Job and his friend trying to console him.  While Job was enduring the storm God was silent. It was not until the storm was over did God appear to Job in the thirty-eight chapter.  And then God appeared in the whirlwind.

     In chapter eighteen Bildad makes a second assault upon Job. In his first discourse (Job 8:1-22) he had given him encouragement to hope that all should yet be well with him. But here there is not a word of that; he has grown more peevish, and is so far from being convinced by Job's reasonings that he is but more exasperated. I. He sharply reproves Job as haughty and passionate, and obstinate in his opinion, Job 18:1-4. II. He enlarges upon the doctrine he had before mentioned, concerning the misery of wicked people and the ruin that attends them, Job 18:5-21. In this he seems, all along, to have an eye to Job's  miserable condition he was in, that he was in the dark, bewildered, ensnared, terrified, and hastening out of the world. "This," says Bildad, "is the condition of a wicked man; and therefore thou art one."  His council was in error and throughout this discourse God was not pleased, yet he was silent.

     A songwriter once said, “God speaks to me when I am on the mountain top, but when I am in the valley God is silent.”  Then he posed a question asking if anybody understood what he was trying to say.  Christians do not like to acknowledge God's silence, yet when Eve had her conversation with the Devil, God was also silent.  The Bible student who wishes to debate this realize that God gave Adam a set of instructions then he went away and came to visit Adam in the cool of the evening. 

   The agnostic philosopher David Hume claimed that many tragedies in the world such as the tornadoes in Moore, Oklahoma constitute prima facie evidence that God is either evil, impotent, or non-existent.   Based on the teaching that God is involved in and is directing every aspect of the affairs of man the agnostics are able to make this claim.   It is hard to reconcile the reality of suffering with faith in a loving and all-powerful God. Faith in God is often cast aside for the agnostic's view.   This lesson should be learned from studying the suffering of Job, but it is often overlooked.

      The single greatest challenge to the Christian faith is the existence of suffering in the world according to the late rector John Stott.  He makes a claim that  posed the question, "If there is a God, why would He allow unwanted divorce, undeserved termination from a job, or unexpected illness?"

     It lets the Devil and humanity of the hook when the indoctrinated ones blame God for the evil that beset mankind. The freewill nature of humanity allows us to make decisions and take actions that is detrimental to our existence.  We place the blame on God for the evils of humanity because we fail to understand the words Gods spoke.    The revolt against God's throne, was it planned and executed by God?  If God intended for man to sin why was he upset when man sinned? When the young drunk mother crashed her car and her unrestrained child was thrown from the car an killed, was this an act of God? Why do we blame it on God?  When that righteous soul exclaim, “God knows what he is doing,” suffering souls run from God.

     It is somewhat asinine to think that a spiritual God is directing the affairs of humanity.   I cannot find the scripture that support that fact. Can you? Yes, everything that happens is allowed by God, but he gives us a choice.  God created man for a purpose and stated that purpose explicitly in the Book of Genesis 1:28.  It was  reiterated by Jesus when he said, “Go into the vineyard and work.” The devil gains  the  advantage of Eve by misinterpreting the word of God and humanity endowed by God with free will, sinned and destruction followed. Jesus did not promise fences of protection around mankind, God even asked Joseph to protect his Son from Heriod. When I study the Bible I see a war against God being conducted, this war existed before man was created and is ongoing today. The Bible gives us an account of God dealt with humanity down through the ages, and the ending is explained in the Book of Revelation. 
     If the Devil can get us to believe everything happening is God's will then he is winning the battle. It was not the will of the mother and father that their young son smoked dope while they were at work. Then they gave him a chance to change. When they withheld certain blessings (Money) he went out with his friends to rob a store and was killed.  Who do you blame? 

I have the tendency to speak what was on my mind or directly from the Heart.  This propensity of this action has been the cause for apprehension among my associates.  But, the concept of religion or Christianity is engrossed in a form of self-contradiction that the God of our salvation is placed in untenable positions. Defenders of the faith have digressed to making claims against the father that is not in the interest of the Gospel of the Kingdom.  We are praying for all types of things and if God were to answer our request sinners would be poor and Christians rich. 

     There is a claim that God is doing great things even when God is silent, this  is not in the best interest of God, nor in the promoting of the Gospel of the Kingdom. In the scripture when God worked a wonder it was done such a manner that all of the glory was his.  The performance of miracles was so others might believe and not to advance one standing.  There is a constant attempt to build up our appearance in the church and community by testifying of what God is doing. A testimony should help others. A person testifying that his prayers were keeping his family members alive is neither believable or factual.

     Now lets get back on topic:

      When I was diagnosed with cancer like I ran to the church and began to pray for God to heal me, yet each trip to the doctor brought me closer to the surgeon’s knife.  God did not speak to me when I entered the Hospital for surgery. From the day I was diagnosed until the day of my surgery God was silent.  I prayed and prayed like Job, but God was silent.  the The nurse injected me with drugs to put me to sleep, but before I closed my eyes, In my Mind's eye I could see Jesus sitting there watching me, but he was silent.  My final thoughts before going to sleep was, “My God why don’t you speak to me.”  Too many at that moment God would have spoken some profound words, but for me He was silent.

     We do not like to admit the silence and inactivity of God because we are taught that God answers all requests.  There are many cliche that is designed to bring peace to our situation but in today's society these cute phrases seems to have lost their influence to  logic and common sense.  To comfort me in my dilemma I was told that, “he might not come when I wanted him but he is always on time.”  They did not tell me there were times when God was silent.   

     Job's faith and conviction sustained him through the storm.  After the storm was over, God showed up.