Have you ever prayed, fasted and believed God, only to be met with silence? Perhaps you were even doing everything you ought to be doing, praying, reading your Bible and going to church. We’ve all had times when it seems God is silent—times when you’ve prayed for years over a particular situation, yet feel forgotten by God.
The silence of God can be a blessing or it can be a curse. When you find yourself in one of the silent times and you choose to act on your own and make a wrong decision, the silence of God is a curse.
The silence of God can be a time that counts for you or it can be a time that costs you. God wants those silent times to be a counting time and a blessing time.
In Psalms 50:20-21 says, “You sit and speak against your brother; you slander your own mother’s son. These things you have done, and I kept silent; you thought that I was altogether like you; but I will rebuke you, and set them in order before your eyes.”
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A companion scripture, Ecclesiastes 8:11 says, “Because the sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil.”
Sometimes when you’ve blown it, you may think you’ve gotten away with something because God was silent in your sinning. Don’t take that silence in a wrong way because it’s a grace period for you to repent. The judgement time will come. God would rather you repent than bring judgement on your sin.
If you sin, there is a grace period when God deals with you and speaks to you in many different ways. He loves and encourages you because the goodness of God leads you to repentance. But if you don’t repent, He will bring it up publicly and deal with it.
For instance, look a Samson. He got away with adultery and some real garbage for many years. Finally God said, enough. Samson ended up blinded, but he repented and finished what God called him to do. You won’t get away with anything, because God sees it all.
There are seasons of judgement and correction and there are also seasons of blessing. Most promises don’t come immediately.
There are season where we know to pray for one of God’s promises, but it doesn’t come to pass as fast as we think. Moses’s parents knew when Moses was born he was to be a deliverer. By faith, they put Moses in an arc and floated him the river. But with human vision, it looked bad for 40 years. He was raised by Pharaoh’s daughter to be a pharaoh, not raised with a spiritual environment. He didn’t seem to have any interest in God in all those years.
Hebrews 6:12 says, “so that you will not be sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and endurance inherit the promises.” Faith and patience bring the inheritance. If you don’t stay in faith, and hold on, that promise will not come through.
There is a timing before a promise is realized. Moses didn’t become a deliverer until he was 80. But it still came to pass. So even if it takes time, don’t give up—through faith and patience, you will inherit the promises.
Today we have our Bible to hear the voice of God, but things were different for Abraham. God spoke to Abraham only seven times in 25 years, that’s a lot of years of silence.
- God called Abraham. (Genesis 12:1)
- God gave Abraham a promise: to your offspring, I will give this land. (Genesis 12:7)
- Abraham had a vision: all the land you see, I will give to your offspring, and they will be like the sands of the sea and stars of the heavens. Every place you walk will become yours. (Genesis 13:14)
- God enters into a covenant with Abraham. (Genesis 15)
- God tells Abraham he’ll have a son. (Genesis 17)
- Abraham intercedes for Sodom and Gomorrah and God speaks to Abraham. (Genesis 18)
- Abraham offers Isaac as a sacrifice and God spoke and provided a substitute. (Genesis 22)
God spoke to Abraham seven times, and even Abraham blew it. He went to Hagar and had Ishmael. Perhaps when God was silent, Abraham thought he’d better help God.
Have you ever tried to “help” God or answer your own prayers in those silent times? That is very dangerous. You can get into natural reasoning instead of supernatural believing.
However, Abraham learned how to believe God when He was being silent. Galatians 3:6 says, “Just as Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.” Romans 4:3 says the same, “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.” Abraham made many mistakes but he repented, and God forgave him and remembered his faith.
Abraham learned some special lessons in the silences of God. Abraham learned to obey God for the things he heard and to stand in faith for the times he didn’t hear God.
The next time you’re in a situation when you don’t hear God, remember to stand in faith and keep holding on to the promise. When you’re in a hard place, be persistent. God is always working in the silent times.
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Marilyn Hickey founded Marilyn Hickey Ministries more than 45 years ago with God’s vision to cover the earth with the Word. Marilyn co-hosts a daily television program, “Today with Marilyn & Sarah,” reaching a potential viewing audience of over 2 billion households worldwide. Marilyn communicates deep biblical truths in a way that is understandable and practical for everyday life.
Sarah Bowling is on a mission to connect every one with the heart of God while loving those who are overlooked, excluded, and ignored. Led by Holy Spirit and anchored in the Word, Sarah seeks to inspire all to know the unconditional and transformational love of God in our daily lives. A Bible teacher, author, international speaker, and a global humanitarian, Sarah also co-hosts a daily television program, “Today with Marilyn & Sarah.”
Isabell Bowling’s passion is to help people have a transformative experience with the power of God. She brings a fresh anointing of the presence and fire of God wherever she goes. Her faith and ministry was shaped by observation and prayer, watching the Lord work in and through her grandmother, Marilyn Hickey, and her mom, Sarah Bowling. After graduating from Oral Roberts University in 2023, Isabell joined the Marilyn & Sarah Ministries team where she stepped into a powerful teaching ministry with her family.
