God is not silent

I cry out to God; yes, I shout. Oh, that God would listen to me! When I was in deep trouble, I searched for the Lord. All night long I prayed, with hands lifted toward heaven, but my soul was not comforted. I think of God, and I moan, overwhelmed with longing for his help. Psalm 77:1-3

One of the blessings of having a personal relationship with God is the privilege of freely coming to His throne of grace through prayer. If you have been a follower of Christ for an amount of time one thing that you will realize is that there are times God does not answer your prayers the way you want them. Or you might have felt and asked, “Why doesn’t He answer my prayer?” If you have felt this way, you are not alone. The Psalmist felt that he had prayed to God yet He will not listen. Just like you, he felt bothered by the silence of God. In fact, he even felt that God had turned his back on Him and that He is not keeping His promises. “Is his unfailing love gone forever? Have his promises permanently failed?” (Psalm 77:8). There are several reasons why God seemed to be unresponsive to your prayers. The most obvious reason for unanswered prayer is sin. Disobedience to God hinders Him to listen to your prayers. “If I had not confessed the sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened” (Psalm 66:18). Another reason is that your prayer is not in accordance with His will. When Jesus gave His disciples a pattern on how to pray it began with asking God’s will to take prominence in what will be prayed for. “May your Kingdom come, may your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:10). This is also what James warned Christians as the reason why their prayers are not answered. “And even when you ask, you don’t get it because your motives are all wrong—you want only what will give you pleasure” (James 4:3). But why is it that at times even if you know that what you are asking is right and that your heart is in tune with Him and His will, still He seemed to be silent? It is in those times that you are to trust Him and believe that answer will come. This is what the Psalmist did when he cannot understand why his prayer was not answered. He looked back at the times when God pulled through with His promises and was resolved that if He did that in the past, He will respond to his prayers. “O God, your ways are holy. Is there any god as mighty as you? You are the God of great wonders! You demonstrate your awesome power among the nations. By your strong arm, you redeemed your people, the descendants of Jacob and Joseph” (Psalm 77:13-15). After David confessed to God, He realized that God listens to his prayers. “Praise God, who did not ignore my prayer or withdraw his unfailing love from me” (Psalm 66:20). Do not stop praying to God for He listens.

Blessings.