When All You Hear Is Nothing
- Lauren Latta
- Apr 13, 2016
- 5 min read
“I call to you, God, and you save me. Even if I cry out in distress evening, morning, and noon, you will never fail to hear my cry.” Psalm 55:16-17
It was on a Wednesday. I cried out to God. Literally. Crying, yelling, yearning for him to stoop low and listen to my plea. Hoping he would show me mercy. You know what I heard back? It was unbelievable…
A resounding nothing.
Seriously. Silence.
I
Was
Mad.
I had not heard anything from God in what seemed like forever, and here I was begging Him to end the silence. Anger filled me like a flame, burning my heart and warming my cheeks.
I wrote…
I scream and cry out to you, but hear nothing. So I’m mad. Could you really have left me here in THIS place? I’m in disbelief. You love me? Why am I facing this? Why will you not rescue me? I keep begging you for help, but it’s like you’re not there. Where are you? Why won’t you deliver me? Say something! Speak to me!
I wanted so desperately for the Father to reach down a mighty hand and remove the anxiety from my mind. I longed for a miracle. Beth Moore said that we often want God to perform a complete brain transplant or lobotomy to remove these fears and thoughts from us, but He rarely works that way… Wouldn’t it be nice if He did? Our God isn’t one for taking short cuts or doing things the easy way. His desire is for us to completely rely on Him. Sometimes the process of getting there can be excruciating, but it is ultimately for His glory and our wholeness.
So, what do we do in the meantime? We continue to seek Him and wait.
“Wait patiently for the lord.
Be brave and courageous.
Yes, wait patiently for the lord.”
Psalm 27:14
I know, waiting is the worst.
My boyfriend has been deployed for the last six months and still we’ve got a ways to go before we will see each other again. Maintaining our relationship and growing while he is gone has been difficult, but rewarding. As you can imagine, we have learned a lot about communicating with one another. I am so thankful that technology allows us to communicate despite time zones and miles. However, there are times when I don’t hear from him. His phone battery doesn’t last long. There are times when calls just won’t go through. Sometimes he is in an undisclosed location and cannot communicate or give me warning that he will be off the grid. Stuff like that just happens. When I first started experiencing these periods of silence (however short they may be...I mean we are used to constant communication nowadays), I would just sit and worry. What is he doing? Is he safe? I wonder where he is. I wonder what’s going on.
After remembering that worry never does anyone any good, I came up with a new plan. I couldn’t just sit and fret. I started taking screenshots of my favorite conversations we had over messaging. When I don’t hear from him, I go back and read what he has already said to me.
Is this resounding with anyone? This is what we should do when we don’t hear from our Heavenly Father. Back during times filled with darkness, when I could not hear God’s voice, all I had to hold onto was what He, the Father, had already said. This is what it means to hold on to the promises.
Waiting on God doesn’t mean being inactive. While we wait for God to speak to us or show us His presence in the here and now, we actively seek Him. Because we know His promise…
“If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me.”
Jeremiah 29:13
So, let’s get into His Word. Here’s what I have learned to do…
Read it.
Every morning I read God’s Word. It started back during the season of darkness. I wanted that to be the first thing I did so that my brain would have to concentrate on what I was reading instead of fear. There were times when I was getting ready and would have the audio turned on for that day on the Bible app so that it would read to me. Also, whenever I had a free moment during the day I would read. Even if it was just scrolling through the verses of the day on the Bible app. I tried to fill every spare moment with scripture and anchor my thoughts to His truths.
Highlight it. Bookmark it.
Another way I use the Bible app is to highlight and bookmark like you would with a print Bible. You can also create images using the scripture you choose. What I like about this is that it saves it with the date that you highlighted and you can also write notes. What has been neat about this is that lately I have gone through my highlights and bookmarks and seen which ones I marked during times of struggle. It’s an incredible experience to see your testimony on a timeline of scripture.
Study it.
As I’m sure you know, there are numerous exceptional Bible studies out there. They can help guide you in your Bible study efforts. Also, I will be sharing some strategies I used when studying the Word in my next post (so be on the lookout!).
Meditate on it. Memorize it.
Meditating on the scripture is not an easy thing for me to do. When I first heard someone suggest meditating, I wasn’t that thrilled because I wasn’t even sure what they meant. This might sound strange, but I began to think of meditation like a brewing or steeping process. I was a hot cup of water soaking in the Word of God as its flavors and truths permeated me. Meditation and memorization go hand in hand. As we meditate, we memorize. As we memorize scripture, we should be meditating on it.
Pray it.
A powerful lesson I learned during this season was to pray God’s word. I even received a book from a friend titled “Praying God’s Word” by Beth Moore. There is something extremely powerful about using the scriptures to pray. For me, it felt like the scripture infused with the Spirit’s yearnings activated in me a prayer life I had never experienced before. I remember feeling the Spirit fill me back up as I declared the truth and claimed the promises of His word. It made me stronger and less vulnerable to the lies the enemy was throwing my way.
As you seek the Father, you will find Him. He has promised us that.
Seek Him. Trust Him. Wait CONFIDENTLY for Him.
“As for me, I look to the Lord for help. I wait confidently for God to save me, and my God will certainly hear me.”
Micah 7:7
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