The hardest part of being a believer is the times when God is silent.
Sure, resisting temptations, dealing with pain, death and unanswered prayers are difficult but the times when God is silent are some of the hardest times in the life of a believer. I hate these seasons.
No, God doesn't speak to me in an audible voice but He will often make himself known in other ways.
I have been through many of these "silent" seasons and when I realize I am in one, I look forward to when it will be over.
The silent times are important in our lives because it is a time when God tests our faith in Him. Will we continue to believe when there is radio silence between us? These are also times which reinforce our dependence on Him. Many times He is teaching us something in the silence.
One thing I have learned to do in these seasons of silence is to hang on and push through it. I remind myself of what God has done in my life. During the silence we have to go back to the basics of reading the Bible, continue to pray and listen to encouraging music. I can't tell you how many times just listening to music has kept me going.
The silence gives us a time to reflect and examine ourselves. Sometimes we gloss over some things in ourselves that we need to resolve. We don't like to see the negative things about ourselves. The silence becomes a microscope on our thoughts, feelings and emotions.
Even in the silence, God is working behind the scenes on our behalf. He hasn't left us. He promised that He would never leave us or forsake us. He's not absent, just silent.
So when do we know when the silence is over? For me, I discover a new song that speaks to me or I will hear someone speak a word and in some very rare instances, I will get a direct email or message from someone or I will simply sense that He is known to me again.
I came across this video clip which really nails it down: https://youtube.com/shorts/DTBPrkuRn-s?si=y5XxszOxfLqV33Bv
Be encouraged and keep pressing through.
