When I pray why is there only silence?

[murraymuzz]

How many people have gone through this? I know i am one such person, it can be so very frustrating when your feeling miserable and you just get the silent treatment all the time, this can even lead to doubting whether or not god is really there.

I know i am guilty of having these doubts several times, so what is a person to do? I feel like i need to say something to the community about this silence. Don't be afraid, wipe those tears away, take pride in the life god has given you, the answer to misery i found in my experience was humility, forget about myself others need me to be strong, other people need my prayers more than myself, all this suffering is gods way of testing us, we must remain persistant in our faith, and remember what jesus has taught us.

Pray, Pray, Pray, from the moment you wake to the moment you sleep, pray to the lord without end, When you eat offer it to god, when you work offer it to god, when you feel happy offer that joy to god, when you feel sad give it all to god, thats what he wants from us, total devotion of our life, there is no time to worry or feel upset, we have work to do, we all have a purpose, we must continue to serve the lord by forgetting our own needs and wants.

Remember Humility, Persistance and most of all love.

God bless.

 

[Lucy68]

Personal needs and wants are part of the human condition...and I don't think they're all bad. Like I know I NEED the work of the Holy Spirit in my life. I know I NEED the love of my Creator without which I would be doomed. I know I NEED other people in my life.

But I think I know what you mean. When we're too self-focused we won't grow spiritually. And many times when we help others, we feel better about ourselves as an added bonus

Is it really silence on God's part or are we not able to hear for some reason. I don't think anybody hears an audible voice but God reveals His answers to us in various ways: through His Word, through other people, through circumstances. We just have to be patient. Everybody says God's timing is perfect, but I have some suggestions

Many times it's sin in our life that keeps us separated from God.

I agree with you about humility. It's when we are humble that we're the most able to hear God speaking. Very hard to do but definitely worth trying

 

[murraymuzz]

I only meant that by doing Gods work that all your spiritual needs will be taken care of and you will never be alone so long as you have Jesus in your heart. But yes prayers do go unanswered and many people get frustrated with it, and it makes people feel worse, alone and hopeless. But I believe thats apart of gods way of testing us, to remain faithful and persistant even though we cannot percieve him.

 

[Lucy68]

I only meant that by doing Gods work that all your spiritual needs will be taken care of and you will never be alone so long as you have Jesus in your heart. But yes prayers do go unanswered and many people get frustrated with it, and it makes people feel worse, alone and hopeless. But I believe thats apart of gods way of testing us, to remain faithful and persistant even though we cannot percieve him.

Yes, I agree...maybe God teaches us to walk by faith by 'backing up'--like parents do when their babies are learning to walk.

 

[Liz01]

I understand what you say. I went through a period of silence from God and it was so hard to not feel His presence in my heart.
But then i remembered Mark 12:30 "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength."
And then i started to pray "God please forgive me because i dont feel anything but your word say that is not the only way to love you, so i love you with my mind and my reasoning" and after 4 months that silence ended.
I didnt understand that silence but after some time i understood that it was because the sin, I fought with a person and i was keeping anger inside.

So, I dont know whats the reason of the period of silence that you are going through but i encourage to not give up, its hard but its very nice too see our faith growing and in my case, my relationship with God became stronger than before the silence.

 

[jonathanbchristian]

I just finished reading Job today and thought this post sounded like Job. Be careful God might really answer you and you might repent of somethings you said like Job did.

 

[Lucy68]

I understand what you say. I went through a period of silence from God and it was so hard to not feel His presence in my heart.
But then i remembered Mark 12:30 "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength."
And then i started to pray "God please forgive me because i dont feel anything but your word say that is not the only way to love you, so i love you with my mind and my reasoning" and after 4 months that silence ended.
I didnt understand that silence but after some time i understood that it was because the sin, I fought with a person and i was keeping anger inside.

So, I dont know whats the reason of the period of silence that you are going through but i encourage to not give up, its hard but its very nice too see our faith growing and in my case, my relationship with God became stronger than before the silence.

Me too!

There's probably lots of reasons for periods of silence but I also was holding onto resentment which had built up a fortress against the Holy Spirit....it lasted a couple of years.

This is very hard for a Christian to go through because we feel like failures. But these trials can bring a lot of goodness once we work through them

 

[WordGaurdian]

Hi.

Rom 10:17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

The parables in the Bible are real and needs to be understood if you are to understand hearing.

Hearing God is through the Word. Only through the Light of Christ can we hear.
Keeping the commandments are Good. Understanding them and adhering to them is even better.
God seeks those out who humble themselves before Him, so He may build a relationship with you.

You need to move inside the fruit of God's spirit to understand God's words.
Galatians 5:22 should give you a hint.

So how do you pray?
Go into a private place.
Don't use big words or repetitive words. But issue as much respect and fear to God as you can muster.
Pro 1:7 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.
What you lack is not the ability of hearing, but the knowledge of how to hear.
Bless God.

Pray that His Kingdom would come.

Pray that His Will be done on earth as it is done in heaven.

Ask God to give you a scripture.
(Hear it is important that you do not try to control the conversation, but give it over to God. If you want God to speak to you, you need to listen what He wants to say to you and not let Him tell you what you would like to hear about - Remember Who God is. If you were a mere subject of a King, then He would still be the King of Kings. His authority has not gone weaker just because we don't understand ours.)

In you mind a scripture would come up. Sometimes it starts with a book, then a chapter and then a verse.
Read it. Read it and listen to the message and think. Example: If God say for an example in the scripture: do not steal. (It is because He knows that it is that which causes a block between you and Him. [all sin causes a block btw]) Now you might want to say yourself... I do not steal. But rather ask God to reveal to you what He is talking about. Your memory would flare up and you would see maybe the movies that you pirated. (STEALING IS STEALING) Get rid of it. And ask for forgiveness. Of course this just be an example. But respond positively to the scripture given. Then ask for another and respond. And ask for another and respond. Can you see what you are doing? You are showing God, that you wish to obey and listen. The more you do this, the clearer the messages will become. Sometimes you will need 3 or 4 scriptures for one message. That is fine too. You do not have to be afraid. You can believe God is there and He is listening... that which you must do is show that you also listen. And not just hear. But obey. For in obedience you will start to understand more of the Word.

As you repeat this over a course of days (no not the first day - patience. You have waited so long. learn the correct way in you will understand) You will feel the urge to get a book and a pen to write down that which you receive from God. Scriptures, yes, but also if you are prepared to listen and ask and wait. God will speak to you word for word. Writing first the first word, then the next and so on until you form sentences. From sentences you form paragraphs. Again. Listen and write. DO NOT try and control the conversation. At this stage you must listen and write. After you have finished writing...respond to the message and do it.

Now this will continue for a matter of weeks up to months, until one day when you are walking God will "speak" in that same voice as you are driving in your car or sitting at the office or walking down the street. Again. Listen respond. Do not try to control the conversation. But by this stage if you ask God will respond. BUT remember your place. You are the servant and He the master. You are the child and He the father. You and the knave and Him the King. And that will NEVER change. IF it change. You are no longer listening to Him.

God will always move in His fruit. So when He "speaks" to you, you would also sense His fruit.

Faith comes by hearing, which comes by the Word of God.

 

[Crossfire]

I didnt understand that silence but after some time i understood that it was because the sin, I fought with a person and i was keeping anger inside.

A lot of people do not believe that sin hinder your relationship with the Lord, stunting your growth spiritually. They are sadly mistaken. Yes, there are indeed times, especially early in your walk with the Lord, when God is willing to look past your sin so that you might receive a better understanding of grace. However, there will come a point in the spiritual walk of every believer when the Lord's intention for you is grow in some form or fashion and it is during these times when we face some of our most difficult trials.

God created each and every one of us for unique purpose and in order for us to both understand and fulfill that purpose we must draw near to God. Sin is a stench in the nostrils of God and will hinder you ability to draw near to him, especially when God's intention for you during that time is to overcome the sin issue that you are struggling with.

We should never allow our feelings over unanswered prayer to dictate to us what we believe about God. We need to understand that God is indeed faithful and that His Word (the Bible) is true thus we must conform our lives to the standard of His Word. Often times, when we set our hearts and minds to be faithful to God and His Word, that's when He makes presence felt the most.

 

[jkalyna]

:) heya in Christ, I don't know the real hidden things of this behind the scenes that we don't see. But, I KNOW THAT FOR SOMETHINGS IN AN EXAMPLE. THE PERSON ALREADY KNOWS THE ANSWER THEY JUST HAVE TO FOLLOW THROUGH. LIKE WHEN SOMEONE IS PRAYING FOR FELLOWSHIP WITH OTHER BELIEVERS, BUT WHEN THERE IS A BIBLE STUDY UP THE STREET FROM THEIR HOUSE THEY DON'T GO, AND CRY LONLY CHRISTIAN, OR A OUTING, THEY DON'T GO. SOMETIMES AND I THINK THAT WE NEED TO FIND THE ANSWERS WITHIN US, AS CHRIST IS WITHIN US, AND JUST LISTEN, AND IT WILL COME TO YOU.