Listen in the Silence

What do you do when God is silent?  

I don't know how to answer that question.  Maybe I should've warned you earlier that I don't have all the answers. 

I don't know how to answer it because it's never happened to me. I don't mean I've always heard Him immediately—sometimes it takes me a while to see what He's doing and hear what He's saying.  And I don't mean I hear God audibly—although as far as I know that's possible. 

I mean I hear Him in more profound, enduring ways.  I hear Him speak through His written word.  I hear Him speak through the wisdom and guidance of others.  I hear Him speak through His creation. 

Most of all, I hear Him speak deep in my heart. He speaks of love, strength, and, at times, correction.  His voice is unmistakable when He speaks the expected, but no less clear when He surprises me. 

Yes, sometimes He is silent . . . . when He refuses to shout down the voices of noise and distraction I put in my own head.  I have to stop long enough to hear Him.  And sometimes He's silent when He's spoken enough to me, when it is time for me to move from listening to action. 

But that's when His voice is the clearest and best—when I'm not just listening to His voice, I'm living it. 

Focus Scripture:  Jesus said 'I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep . . . . My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; and I give eternal life to them and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand.'  John 10:11, 27