We’ve all been through tough times: financial difficulties, health crises, relationship conflicts, work conflicts. I don’t know anything about these things. A few years ago, I was having one thing after another. First, my test results showed that my blood work was abnormal. Then we took some financial hits and depleted our bank account. We were going through spiritual warfare as a family and as a couple. I went to him because God wanted me to cry out to him.
I cried.
I poured out my deepest feelings to him.
I repented.
I forgave you.
I thanked God for hearing from me. And God said one thing.
there is nothing.
To say I was frustrated with God for not speaking to me during this difficult time would be an understatement. No matter what I did, I couldn’t hear God’s voice. It was as if he had left the building. I often wondered if he could even hear me screaming. I began to feel that God didn’t care about me or my problems.
But I soon learned that begging God to listen to me was just another way I was trying to control Him. God speaks in His timing, not my timing. I also realized that his silence didn’t mean he didn’t care. That meant he was working for me. Instead of binge-watching my favorite shows, doing online retail therapy, or eating unhealthy snacks, I decided to do something productive while waiting on God in silence. I had to trust and know that God would speak, but He would speak when He was ready, not when I told Him I was ready.
Here are some ways I have learned to wait on God in silence.
serve others
Jesus had a close relationship with the Father through the Bible. This close connection enabled Jesus to serve everyone he encountered. He knew this was part of his service, and his father wanted him to do it with his life. Similarly, God wants us to serve others. This is incredibly comforting as we wait for God to speak to us.
Whether it’s your local church, local food pantry, or clothing closet, there are many ways you can serve others, including your brothers and sisters in Christ and others in your community. You can also designate money for a specific purpose to help those in need. This not only helps me bide my time while waiting on God, but it also helps ease my fear and deep sadness when I’m going through something difficult and God doesn’t answer.
Giving to others takes the focus away from yourself and onto other people’s problems. If you dig deep enough, you’ll see that other people have it worse than me. There are many people who are going through even more difficult trials than I am. By focusing on that, he is able to maintain perspective that he is always working. God wants me to serve to make the world a better place. But doing so also increases your compassion and empathy for those around you.
journal
When we wait on God, it’s easy to get distracted. Sometimes I experience movements of faith. I read books, pray, and go to church. Sometimes I get so focused on trying to hear His voice that I end up going through the motions and all the other mental exercises. I read the words, but I can’t understand what they’re saying. I pray, but it’s only half-hearted because I know he won’t talk. I attend church, but I’m more focused on other people and my own problems than listening to the week’s message.
When I feel my mental health is depleted, I journal. Journaling can help you focus on your feelings and emotions. My emotions and feelings can affect my daily life, so I write them down on paper to get them out of my head.
Also, you can write whatever you want, so you can express your emotions appropriately. If I don’t want others to read it, I throw it away as a symbolic act of saying that I believe God is at work and that He will work everything out.
talk to others
Due to the world of technology and the nature of my job, I often feel isolated. I can usually go days or weeks without talking to anyone, which is not good for my mental or emotional health. I need to be around people who help me every day. It’s also healthy for me to have someone to support me and talk to me about problems. I need someone to be a third party to this problem and tell me what’s best, not what I want to hear.
It takes great courage and strength to say what you don’t want to hear. I need to find someone who not only encourages me but challenges me to be a better person. These people with strong faith are the way God uses to speak. I often wait for Him to do some big miraculous action to find out what He is saying. However, he sometimes uses people around me in the community to exercise power over me. I have to listen to him and tune in.
fast
When I’m angry or sad about my situation, I often turn to things that numb those feelings. Binge-watch your favorite shows, eat comfort food, and go shopping. There’s nothing inherently sinful about these things, but it’s when I use them as a coping mechanism instead of waiting on God. Since it can be frustrating to keep waiting for a word from the Lord, it is easy to fill our lives with things that help calm the deep emotions we feel during trials.
While not everyone can fast for medical reasons, there are some great ways to practice fasting without having to forego food. You can fast from worldly music, television, shopping, social media, and any other distractions. Fasting is a great way to reset your mind, body, and soul from a toxic world and help you refocus your thoughts on God. It’s easy for me to drown out God because I indulge in these things.
This is especially true if you are quietly waiting for him. It’s easy to ignore him because I’m waiting for him and his timing. When I choose to stay focused and indulge in healthy activities that prepare me for the next chapter of my life, I am better prepared mentally, spiritually, and emotionally for when God wants to use me again for another purpose.
Silence can be downright frustrating in our spiritual lives. But writing in a journal, surrounding yourself with quality people who help you organize your feelings, fasting from junk food and other coping mechanisms, and serving others can help drown out distractions and become more attuned to God and His voice.
Photo credit ©iStock/Getty Images Plus/SanderStock
Michelle S. Lazurek is an award-winning multi-genre author, speaker, pastor’s wife, and mother. She is a literary agent with Wordwise Media Services and host of The Spiritual Reset podcast. Her new children’s book, Hall of Faith, encourages children to understand that God can be trusted. When I’m not working, I enjoy drinking Starbucks lattes, collecting 80’s memorabilia, and spending time with my family and dog. For more information, please visit her website www.michellelazurek.com.
