Waiting for God in Deafening Silence
How do we respond when it feels as if we’re waiting for God in deafening silence?
Six years ago, I posted the first content on this site, after hearing Jamie Mulvaney preaching at Holy Trinity Clapham. Transformed by Grace was a reflection on my journey through mental illness, written with a lens of joy in the weeks ahead of marriage. Today, just a few days before Claire and I celebrate our sixth wedding anniversary, I once again find myself writing on one of Jamie’s sermons.
Last Sunday, Jamie spoke on Habakkuk, a book which speaks directly to those of us who have ever asked: Where is God? Why isn’t he doing something? If you are in a season of waiting, I hope what I write will encourage you because I fully empathise and know what that silence feels like.
The sermon focused on Habakkuk 1:1-13.
"How long, Lord?"
Habakkuk’s opening words are a cry known all too well to many of us.
“How long, Lord, must I call for help but you do not listen?
Or cry out to you, ‘Violence!’ but you do not save?” (Habakkuk 1:2)
He was watching what felt like the world crumbling, the perception of being surrounded by violence, injustice and evil. Yet, God seemed to be doing nothing. It felt like his prayers were just bouncing off walls and ceilings straight back to him. Does this sound familiar to you?
- You’ve been praying for healing, but illness lingers
- You’re desperate for a job, but every door remains shut
- You’ve been waiting for breakthrough in a relationship, but it’s still broken
- You’re seeking direction but all you hear is silence
- You’re dismayed by the world around you and yet God seems to reward the oppressor
We all have our own “How long, Lord?” moments and, when we’re honest, we know they can shake our faith to its very core.
God's Unexpected Answer
God does, in fact, respond to Habbakuk, but it’s not the response he expects.
“Look at the nations and watch –
and be utterly amazed.
For I am going to do something in your days
that you would not believe,
even if you were told.” (Habakkuk 1:5)
Awesome God, you’re going to fix it!! Amen.
But no, God proceeds to tell Habakkuk that he’s going to use the Babylonians, the most despised of nations, to bring about justice.
“I am raising up the Babylonians, that ruthless and impetuous people, who sweep across the whole earth to seize dwellings not their own.” (Habakkuk 1:6)
Confused dot com!!
A stunned Habakkuk does not see how a holy God can use wicked people top fulfil His purposes? And we, too, so often question in this way.
- God, why are you allowing this to happen to me?
- Why does this situation seem to get worse before it gets better?
- Why have you given him a job and not me?
- Don’t I turn up and pray every day and there’s still no progress?
The Challenge of Waiting on God
If you’ve ever had a season of waiting, you know how hard it is. It’s not just about patience, but it is a constant wrestling with uncertainty. Depending on your situation, waiting on God can feel like:
- Sending out CV after CV and application after application, only to be met by silence or (human) rejection
- Watching the prayers of others being answered while yours remain unmet
- Feeling abandoned in grief, wondering if joy can ever again inhabit this space
- Seeing injustice thrive and questioning why God isn’t stepping in
Waiting is not passive but is an active struggle. How do we continue to trust or believe when we don’t understand? In Jamie’s sermon, he used the wonderful analogy of his young son to explain that we simply can’t see what God can see. Jamie says,
When R. comes to me and he wants certain things, I just have to tell him, R., that’s not good for you. And yes, he can blow his top but, he just has to trust me. And I know he’s not going to understand, he can’t possibly understand. It’s unreasonable to expect him to understand.
But how much greater, how much more vastly different is God’s mind to ours than my mind to that of my three-year-old son? God is our father and can see what is impossible for us to see.
I found this so helpful; and similarly helpful was Jamie signposting Habakkuk’s dismissive anger toward’s God’s silence.
Habakkuk has already questioned whether God is listening in verse 2 as I wrote above. In verses 3 and 4, he suggests that God refuses to save and tolerates wrongdoing. As Jamie put it, these are “quite the accusations to level at God.
In verse 12, however, he goes further, saying,
Lord, are you not from everlasting? Why then do you tolerate the treacherous? Why are you silent while the wicked swallow up those more righteous than themselves.
And yet, in this rich verse and amid angry laments, he says “My God, my Holy One, you will never die.”
So what does this mean for us?
Faith in the Silence
The reality is this; God invites our lament, God accepts our human nature, He invites us into relationship with Him and invites us to come as we are. As Jamie helpfully said, Habakkuk is not relating to God in a legalistic way but in a way that shows that he understands the grace of God. It’s not about doing and saying the right things to appease God, it’s about constantly meeting with Him.
If I didn’t full acknowledge God’s sovereignty, I wouldn’t bemoan his (perceived on my part) lack of action. It’s because of that sovereignty and because we know He can, we get angry when He doesn’t. But again I go back to Jamie’s toddler, God sees what we can never make sense of.
And if we fast forward two chapters, we see that although Habakkuk’s journey doesn’t end with neat answers, he does find deep trust.
“Though the fig tree does not bud
and there are no grapes on the vines,
though the olive crop fails
and the fields produce no food,
though there are no sheep in the pen
and no cattle in the stalls,
yet I will rejoice in the Lord,
I will be joyful in God my Saviour.” (Habakkuk 3:17-18)
This is not blind optimism but is faith forged in the silence. It is a decision to believe that even if the circumstances don’t change, God is still good.
Earlier this week I sat and prayed with a dear friend and brother in Christ, and we both acknowledged a sense of anger and frustration at God, but made a deep commitment to respecting and knowing His sovereignty.
And just as I am currently in the waiting as I search for my next job, I am reminded that I have been there before, through long, hard years of mental ill health, never for a day not believing in God but constantly wondering if God had given up on or forgotten me.
Yes, there were times when I questioned if he even cared but, looking back, I can see that even in the deafening silence, He was working. All along, He was strengthening me, teaching me and ultimately holding me together when I had nothing left.
Encouragement in the Silence
If you’re in a season of silence and waiting right now, where prayers seem unanswered and you’re desperate for a sign, please be encouraged.
God’s silence is not His absence. Just because you feel abandoned doesn’t mean you are. He is working in ways you can’t yet see.
You’re allowed to wrestle. Habakkuk questioned God. So did Job, David and even Jesus on the cross. Faith isn’t pretending that it’s all fine but is about bringing your honest self before God.
Trust in His plan. Habakkuk didn’t get the answer he expected but it was part of a much bigger story. What feels like a major delay to us may be divine preparation for what God is doing in our lives.
I don’t know what you’re waiting for. I don’t know how long you’ve been crying out in anguish. What I do know is that God is absolutely faithful all of the time.
The silence will not last forever, nor will the waiting be wasted. There will be a moment when, like Habakkuk, you will be able to look back and see that God was working all along.
So even in the waiting, keep running with perseverance, fix your eyes solely on the prize.
I’ve still got joy in chaos
I’ve got peace that makes no sense
And I won’t be going under
I’m not held by my own strength
‘Cause I built my life on Jesus
He’s never let me down
He’s faithful in every season
So why would He fail now?
He won’t
Carnes, Cody. “Firm Foundation (He Won’t).” Worship Together. Accessed February 7, 2025.https://www.worshiptogether.com/songs/firm-foundation-he-wont-cody-carnes/#SongLyrics.
As a final note, last Sunday was Jamie’s last sermon as Associate Minister at Holy Trinity Clapham. In March, he will be taking up the role of Vicar at St Michael’s Church, Chester Square. I’d like to wish him every joy and happiness in this next chapter and thank him for everything he has been for so many of us at HTC.
And if you want to listen to the full sermon, which I would absolutely recommend, you can do so here or on the HTC Podcast (Apple link here).
- Waiting for God in Deafening Silence - February 7, 2025
- It’s been a while! - February 4, 2025
- Podcast: Trapeze HR Face-2-Face - April 8, 2024
