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9. Questions to Ask God When He is Quiet

9. Questions to Ask God When He is Quiet

9. Questions to Ask God When He is Quiet.

“After all this, Lord, must you still refuse to help us? Will you continue to be silent?” (Isaiah 64:12).

Occasional Glimpses of the Bird in the Mist. Have you ever sat in a little fishing boat on a quiet lake early in the morning? The spindrift is thick, just hanging there suspended over the water, an expansive cloudy curtain shrouding everything in mystery. And then suddenly a bird cuts through the fog and makes a grand entrance, a startling and dramatic surprise, and then it disappears again. In and out. Heard and then not heard. Seen and unseen. In awe you almost tip the boat over in fearful wonder as the bird enjoys the mystery, waiting for the day to begin in all its glory. I wonder if the world’s first day was something like that, the holy Dove soaring in and out of the thick watery mist, alert and carefree, preparing for the new life about to burst forth.

Redemption. But I have found that the mist continues to come and go, perhaps not the same watery cloud as the primordial one, but a cloud nonetheless. In our own brokenness, confusion, or life circumstance, we often wander inside a type of cloud, don’t we? Living in a fallen world, or realizing our own shortcomings and difficulties, we seem to carry around us a personal fog machine, and it’s easy to lose our way, or maybe even seemingly lose our God. But the poet-prophet Isaiah reminds us of our Creator’s grace by speaking Yahweh’s words… “I will not forget you. I have swept away your offenses like a cloud, your sins like the morning mist. Return to me, for I have redeemed you,” says the Lord. (Isaiah 44:21-22). Yes! We can see a little of what redemption looks like now. The holy wind can make our occasional cloud disappear, whether self-inflicted or not. The sun has risen with healing in its wings, and mercy has covered over a multitude of sins and life challenges.

Double-Graced. Yes, God indeed sweeps away our guilt and guides us back home to Him when we, or is it Him, are in a fog. But we also discover that this Bird, the original brooder before time began, has been with us the whole time in the mist, our constant companion all along, floating in and out of our cloud of humanness, circling around us in quiet, hidden love. Sometimes He disappears and seems to tarry speechless and unseen. Then He appears again and starts talking. Faith believes He has been there all along, whether we hear Him or see Him or not. We trust that the wings of grace have been giving us shelter in the shadows, unbeknownst to us. The Dove has never flown away! Unbalanced in our boat, grace in flight gladdens us again, darting through the fog, warming the frozen waters of our heart until new life begins to form. With a heart to hear Him and eyes to see, with profound relief, and through His personal self-revelation, we gratefully smile at the Bird in the mist, who has never stopped taking us under His wing.

When God is Silent in the Mist. It’s okay, biblical even, to call out to God, or even call out God Himself, when He is not clearly present, when we can’t see Him operate, when He is silent. Prophets, psalmists, and other true believers had no hesitation to question the Lord and ask some honest questions when the Bird in the mist appears to disappear. Their questions were ancient versions of, “I believe, help my unbelief.”  Their doubts were in the context of faith, and they knew where to go with their questions, Whom to ask. They name Him, they assume His presence, His open ear, His ability to speak. It’s too easy for us to approach everyone else as to God’s silence, but that should be our last resort. Our first resort is to God Himself. We can certainly quote Scripture as we ask blunt and straightforward questions when the Dove is flying quietly in and around us, sight unseen.

  1. “But you are pure and cannot stand the sight of evil. Will you wink at their treachery? Should you be silent while the wicked swallow up people more righteous than they? Will you let them get away with this forever?” (Habakkuk 1:12, 17);
  2. “You have seen, O Lord! Do not be silent! O Lord, be not far from me! Wake up and rouse Yourself!” (Psalm 35:22);
  3. “How long, Yahweh, will you forget me? Forever? How long will you turn away your face from me? How long must I nurse rebellion in my soul, sorrow in my heart day and night? How long is the enemy to domineer over me? Look down, answer me, Yahweh my God! Give light to my eyes or I shall fall into the sleep of death.” (Psalm 13:1-3);
  4. “Why, Yahweh, do you keep so distant, so hidden in times of trouble… Rise, Yahweh! God, raise your hand, do not forget the afflicted.” (Psalm 10:1,12);
  5. “Heal me, Yahweh, my bones are shaken, my spirit is shaken to its very depths. But you, Yahweh… how long? Yahweh, relent and save my life, rescue me because of your faithful love, for in death there is no remembrance of you; who could sing your praises in Sheol?” (Psalm 6:3-5);
  6. “How much longer, Lord, will you look on? Rescue me from their onslaughts, from young lions rescue the one life that I have… You saw it, Yahweh, do not stay silent; Lord, do not stand aloof from me. Up, awake to my defense, my God and my Lord, to my cause.”  (Psalm 35:17, 22, 23);
  7. “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? The words of my groaning do nothing to save me. My God, I call by day but you do not answer, at night, but I find no respite.” (Psalm 22:1-2);
  8. “Wake, Lord! Why are you asleep? Awake! Do not abandon us for good. Why do you turn your face away, forgetting that we are poor and harassed? For we are bowed down to the dust, and lie prone on the ground. Arise! Come to our help! Ransom us, as your faithful love demands.” (Psalm 44:23-26);
  9. “I shall wear myself out for your salvation, for your word is my hope. My eyes, too, are worn out waiting for your promise; when will you have pity on me? For I am like a smoked wineskin, but I do not forget your will. How long has your servant to live?”  (Psalm 119:82-84); God, why have you finally rejected us, your anger blazing against the flock you used to pasture? Remember the people you took to yourself long ago, your own tribe which you redeemed… Arise, God, champion your own cause.” (Psalm 74:1-2, 22);
  10. “I will go forward in the path of the blameless; when will you come to me?” (Psalm 101:2);
  11. “Through the night I ponder in my heart, as I reflect, my spirit asks this question: Is the Lord’s rejection final? Will he never show favor again? Is his faithful love gone forever? Has His Word come to an end for all time? Does God forget to show mercy? In anger does he shut off his tenderness?” (Psalm 77:6-9);
  12. ” But, for my part, I cry to you, Yahweh, every morning my prayer comes before you; why, Yahweh, do you rebuff me, turn your face away from me?” (Psalm 88:13-14);
  13. “Bring us back, God our Savior, appease your indignation against us! Will you be angry with us forever? Will you prolong your wrath age after age? Will you not give us life again, for your people to rejoice in you?” (Psalm 85:4-6).

Yes and Amen. More often than not, these rather frank and challenging questions asked of God in Scripture were soon followed up with bold statements of faith and trust in Him. These honest doubts and questions moved into an expressed confidence in God within a trusting, intimate relationship with Him.

  1. “But I have trusted and been confident in your mercy and lovingkindness; my heart shall rejoice in your salvation. I will sing to the Lord, because He has dealt bountifully with me.” (Ps. 13:5-6);
  2. “The Lord is King forever and ever! O Lord, you have heard the desire and longing of the humble and oppressed; You will strengthen their heart, and you will cause your ear to hear.” (Ps. 10:16-17);
  3. “The Lord has heard the sounds of my weeping; He has heard my pleading and has received my prayer.” (Ps 6:8-9);
  4. “Let the Lord be magnified, He who takes pleasure in the flourishing of this servant, and my tongue shall talk of your righteousness and justice, and my reasons for your praise all the day long.” (Ps. 35:27-28);
  5. “All you who fear and worship the Lord, praise Him! All you descendants of Jacob, glorify Him! All you children of Israel, revere Him! For he has not despised or ignored the afflictions of the humble, neither has he hid his face, but instead has listened to his cry for help.” (Ps. 22:24);
  6. “Who is a great God like our God? You are the God who does wonders; You have demonstrated your power among the peoples; You have redeemed your people with your mighty arm.” (Ps. 77:13-15);
  7. “I will listen to what God the Lord will say, for he will speak peace to his people. Surely his deliverance is near to those who reverently fear Him. Yes, the Lord will give what is good, and righteousness shall go before Him, and He will make His footsteps a way in which to walk.” (Ps. 85:8-13).

Josh Garrels – Farther Along (Motion Lyrics)

 

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