Is God ever silent?

[Guest LadyC]

i think many times God is silent... usually because He has already answered, and He's waiting for us to shut up and listen.

[Fez]

James 4

³ You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures.

God is not hung up us asking for our desires or pleasure......................... Read the whole context of James and see what James was referring to. Jesus said God gives good things to those that ask, and God gives us the desire of our hearts.

What if those deires are selfish in nature? What if they are contrary to the Living Word?

Rom_8:28 And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. (ESV).

Most people don't get what the "good" is in God's eyes, and what the "good" is in our eyes. Many think the good is the easy, comfortable, prosperous, abounding health good.

That's not the good Paul talks about. God's good, is simply put, salvation and eternity with Him. We sometimes suffer while "things work together for good". We get sick, we get broke, we get fired, we stay poor, we have relationship issues. But through all of this, if we are "called according to His Purpose"' things will work to the good.(the eternal good).

And "His purpose", I think, is here and now for us to be, and to remain, holy in His eyes.

The prize is indescribable, and now's suffering for tomorrows good, is but a gnat on the whalesback of time...

[Guest man]

Man, what are these people asking for? Killing, victory over their neighbors, to have someone else spouse. To win a battle over someone. To desire things someone else has.

All that stuff is Evil brother.

Is God silent in regard to those desires or does He answer those prayers?

God gives the desires of our hearts. What we want.

Even if those desires are less than perfect and selfish?

[Fez]

So Fez:

I know your blessed, God has hooked you up, kept you. It does not say eternal good, though the rewards are eternal. I am blessed also, God has done awesome things. People need to know how to hook up with that blessing. I got a handful of people now that just struggle year after year and they just don't get it. I mean struggle!!!

I am blessed because I live under His Grace, no more no less. God works with an eternal perspective and end goal (if there is ever an end), that we can only imagine.

I do not for one minute believe that praying for stuff, because that is what a lot of people pray for, money, house, car, job, health etc, is wrong, but I REALLY believe that if we live a Spirit filled, Holy life under God, with Him in us, the "good" worldly stuff means nothing, and if it is His pleasure, and He knows we can use it to His Glory, he may bless us with "stuff".

BUT, the good Paul talks about is eternal! How could it be anything but?

Paul wrote this from a prison (or house arrest, I forget). Do you think he had "good" stuff surrounding him? Health? good and abundant food? Friends?

He had rats, and probably chains.

But he loved God, and that worked to his eternal good. And he knew it.

[gdemoss]

I don't know.

Gary

[nebula]

I feel sad reading this thread, seeing how some folks have responded -

If God is silent, it is because you are in sin - lack of faith, asking in selfishness, etc.

I appreciate this response, though:

I keep in mind that Jesus deliberately waited until four days after Lazarus died before raising him from the dead. That didn't make sense to some at that time, but Jesus knew what He was doing. It was still frustrating for everyone else, though.

I think of the account in Judges where the tribes of Israel rose against Benjamin because of their immoral deed. The Lord said, "Go," but yet Benjamin defeated the rest of Israel in battle - not once, but twice! Israel saught the Lord and followed His lead, yet they lost. Why?

But I appreciate what some have taught - sometimes the Lord plays Hide-and-go-seek with us. He's silent because He wants us to seek Him. It isn't because something is "wrong" with us, He just wants us to dig deeper into Him.

[nChrist]

I know that God does as He pleases in heaven and on earth. Regarding me, He answers my prayers according to His perfect will for my life. Yes, He does things for my good, even though I might not think the answer is so good. The answer will be "no" sometimes - "wait" in other times. We must remember that He told the Apostle Paul "no" three times. Are many strong Christians poor or ill? Yes - God didn't promise us an easy time in this short life. The following portion of Scripture speaks volumes:

2 Corinthians 12:7-10 NASB 7 Because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, for this reason, to keep me from exalting myself, there was given me a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to torment me--to keep me from exalting myself! 8 Concerning this I implored the Lord three times that it might leave me. 9 And He has said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness." Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. 10 Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ's sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong.

[ayin jade]

When God is silent, do you still trust in Him?

I have seen many folks start to lose their faith when He is silent. That does not speak well of their faith if they cannot still trust Him then.

[Fez]

nebula

But I appreciate what some have taught - sometimes the Lord plays Hide-and-go-seek with us. He's silent because He wants us to seek Him. It isn't because something is "wrong" with us, He just wants us to dig deeper into Him.

Were they not saying, What profit is it to serve God? Even the sinners are blessed? Was not his response that your words have been stout against me?

You keep saying that God "gives one nice things". that and your comment "even the sinners are blessed?", illustrates the difference between what I think and what you think.

Yes, I believe that God can bless a sinner if He so wishes. I know that He loves them.. I know that he loved me when I was a sinner, I know that He protected me and watched over me, and never once abandoned me, although I abandoned Him.

And here is the kicker. I don't care if God blesses me with "nice things", I never think about it. I just walk His path, because that is all He wants me to do.

Because I know in my heart that the "good" Paul talks about in Romans is eternal, and has nothing to do with the now.

[nebula]

nebula

But I appreciate what some have taught - sometimes the Lord plays Hide-and-go-seek with us. He's silent because He wants us to seek Him. It isn't because something is "wrong" with us, He just wants us to dig deeper into Him.

So, what your saying is. That no matter what we believe, what we say, what we do, does not effect anything in the realm of the spirit, does not give the enemy entrance to hinder or stop (Not like Danial anymore) That it's all up to God?

No. Your focus here wasn't even in the radar of my thinking.

I understand nobody likes to hear that confessing "I can't hear God, or God is silent" Actually is in disagreement with all those scriptures I gave, and actually stops God, because without believing what God said, then you can't even please God. (Heb 11:6) Do we just discount all the scripture? and take no responsibility to grow up, and learn more?

Mike, are you familiar with the Scripture that states God's kindness leads us to repentence? I do hope and pray you study and take to heart what this means. For your words are like whips to wounded souls rather than a healing balm.

Were they not saying, What profit is it to serve God? Even the sinners are blessed? Was not his response that your words have been stout against me?

Did God pick everything that happened to Israel? Or did everything happen according to what they said?

Is there a reason Joshua and Caleb made it? or was it just God making all the choices?

I have no confusion. If I am not hearing God on something, if something continues, and continues, and continues that holds me back, causes suffering (not for the gospel, just worldly stuff) Then it's me, not God. He has never failed, never not responded, never leaves us, never forsakes us.

Jesus Is Lord.

Mike, I fail to see how you have intepreted all of this out of what I said.

Sigh, never mind. If you like shooting trhe wounded, fine.