Hearing God’s Voice: When God Seems Silent

by Marilynn Chadwick

"What do I do when God seems silent?" The question came from a good friend and a sincere follower of Jesus. We were on a weekend retreat where I had just delivered a message about learning to hear God's voice. Her question hit a chord. How do we handle those times when we have prayed and prayed? Perhaps we have even sensed God's promise to fulfill a hope or dream. But the answer is so slow in coming.

I thought back to my own time of what I call “wait training.” In our early years of marriage, David and I had looked forward to the day we'd have children. Imagine our dismay when hopes for a baby stretched into six months, a year, two years, and eventually four years—forty-eight straight months—of drugs, surgeries, tests, and more tests. And still no baby.

We eventually had our daughter and two sons. But the years of waiting proved to be a good time to seek God and to wait on him. Strength came as I rested in the Lord, studied his Word, held fast to his promises...day after day after day. I learned what Jesus meant when he encouraged believers to "abide" in him (John 15:5).

I also found surprising comfort as I stepped out of my own pain to serve others. I discovered that if I would give my life away to help someone who was hurting worse than I was, a mysterious joy would spring forth.

By seeking God and serving him wholeheartedly, I learned that times of waiting can give birth to a larger purpose. Turns out not getting what we want when we want it may be one of the best tools to sharpen our hearing of God's voice. We may also discover that our seasons of waiting—those times we thought were barren—can become our most fruitful.