When the Silence Ends

Broken and devastated, Job asked for an audience with God. Near the end of the book, (Chapter 38-41) the silence ended with God speaking. When He finally paused and offered Job the opportunity to respond, Job answered: “I’m speechless. My words fail me, so I’m ready to shut my mouth and listen.”

After the Old Testament ends, there is a period of 400 years when God doesn’t speak. But when the New Testament begins, the silence ends with the announcement that God has come to live among us as a baby named Immanuel.

Jesus lived as God incarnate for 33 years. He interacted with people, chose a group of followers, and announced the Kingdom was upon them. Some believed Him, some followed Him, some hated and eventually killed Him. After three days, the silence ended with the news that He had risen from the dead.

There are times in life when all we hear is silence, and it can be excruciating. Silence is hard on relationships. It can breed doubt, suspicion, and fear. It can make us question our worth and become a fertile field where anger and resentment flourish. Silence can make us second guess ourselves, wonder if we are loved, and cause us to sink into deep discouragement.

Silence may come when you and your spouse are at odds with each other. You go into your man cave, and she retreats to her room. Doors are closed. Tension is thick. You are at a standoff, until finally, one of you reaches out and says, “I’m sorry.”

Silence may come when your teenage daughter comes in late, goes straight to her room, and slams the door. You pray as you go to bed that things will be better in the morning. She prays as she goes to bed that she’ll have the courage to apologize and face the consequences. After an awkwardly silent breakfast, you gently tell her you need to talk about what happened. She immediately bursts into tears and says, “Dad, I’m so sorry.”

Silence may drag on while you wait to hear back from your job interview. You wait. You check your phone. You check it again, and again. One day passes, then two. Then, on the third day, the phone rings, ending the silence, and you receive a job offer.

On more than one occasion, I’ve found myself waiting for the silence to end. I know what it’s like to lay my head on the pillow and wonder how much longer the uncertainty will last. I know what it’s like to open my eyes in the morning and pray for something good to happen. Waiting for the Lord to speak or to receive an answer can feel unbearable.

The best advice I can offer as you go through times of silence is this: keep listening.

I’ve found that when the silence is the most deafening and I’m on the verge of losing hope, God is waiting just beyond the noise of the silence with exactly what I need to hear. He was just waiting until I was ready to shut my mouth and listen.

He is there with you. He has the answer. So wait, have faith, listen carefully…and it will be His voice you hear when the silence ends.

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