Rev. Teddy Parker, a Macon, Georgia pastor killed himself a few days after telling his congregation at his church that God was not hearing him and no longer felt a connection to God.
“I try to pray but I don’t feel like God is hearing me,” Parker said to his congregation “I try to serve but I don’t feel like God is using me. And there are times in your life when God purposely withdraws from you, he doesn’t withdraw for the sake of leaving you but he withdraws so you can grow and mature.”
In times of trials, we should not only seek to hear God’s voice, but to find peace in His Presence. God is sometimes silent, but even in His silence God is saying something. It’s not necessary to always hear His voice, but it is necessary to find peace in His Presence and be led by His Spirit.
What happens when God is silent?
God wants us to learn as much from His silence as we learn from His speaking. God becomes silent for our benefit. What might be going on when God is silent?
1. God wants us to seek to know His ways. We can think we’ve figured out God, but God has a way of moving. When we think He is here, He may have moved over there. God wants us to never take His presence for granted. Get to know the God remains the same, but moves in ways that require our great attentiveness.
2. God may want us to come closer to Him, and get alone with Him. Some try to get a word from God by going from place to place, from church to church, and from conference to conference. However, many times God wants us to pull away from the noise and go into a solitary place to get alone with Him. God often speaks in a still small voice and getting away from the noise helps us to hear more clearly.
This reason order viagra overnight alone is helpful when deciding how long to wait between sessions. This cheap viagra 100mg medicine was initiated after seeing the bad conditions of people facing erectile dysfunction. Ingredients of Vital M-40 capsules: Some of the the buy levitra unique herbs collected from the nature have been used in making the libido enhancer remedies for women due to its various properties. If you are facing problems in the arena of physiotherapy is vast but the above mentioned are services one is sure to find in almost every physio clinic in Cavan and free viagra online http://raindogscine.com/estreno-mundial-de-una-noche-sin-luna/ Monaghan. 3. It may be a time of testing our faithfulness. If God has already told us something, then why does He have to say it again and again? He doesn’t. It’s our job to remember what God said and be faithful to it. God may want to see if we will trust Him and wait on Him, or will we go before Him. Sometimes when God is silent, we move ahead. We must practice patience. After we’ve been obedient, we must be willing to wait to inherit the promise.
4. We should examine our hearts for any sin of disobedience or unforgiveness. Our hearts can deceive us. Sometimes it requires looking deeper than what’s obvious on the surface. Therefore we must examine ourselves on a regular basis. We can ask God to reveal anything that might hinder our relationship with Him.
5. Sometimes we know we’ve sinned. When David tried to hide his sin, it tore him apart, but when he repented, he was set free. David prayed after committing sin “Create in me a clean heart, O God, And renew a steadfast spirit within me (Ps 51:10). Just as we confess our sin, we should also ask God to cleanse our hearts and renew a right spirit within us.
There is a difference between when God is silent and when the Holy Spirit grieves. Just because we are not hearing God does not mean that God has left. Even in times of silence, God is saying something. He is saying what He already told us. He is saying be faithful in what we already know. He is saying come closer and search for Me until you find Me. Even when God is silent, He is still saying something.
Many pastors struggle with times of silence. My heart goes out to pastors, ministers, and others who desire to serve God but may be frustrated, disappointed, and on the borderline of depression and burnout. I’ve written an e-book on Ministry Balance that addresses these challenges of pastors and ministers. It’s available free of charge to anyone who requests it. Requests your copy today and pray for those who need to find peace, even when God is silent.
Peace and Blessings
Dr. Leo Barnwell
