My kids are out of control. My house is a wreck. My emotions are all over the place. My worldly circumstances seem to be taking me for a ride on the Gravitron (you know, the old fair ride that spins you in circles so fast you are literally glued to your back unable to move?).
These things make me feel helpless, unable to get out of the downward spiral that keeps pulling me further and further inward. As a result of these things, I find an end to myself, because I realize that I do not have the strength to lift myself up or stop the spinning “Gravitron” or change my circumstances. It is during these times that God confirms in my heart that I must trust Him.
Sometimes though, when my circumstances seems bleak and I feel desperate, I cry out, pouring out my cares and concerns to the Lord, only to feel like He is not listening. Even though I know He greatly desires for me to put my whole trust in Him and to cry out to Him, I struggle to believe He cares or that He even wants to hear my problems and concerns.
What a lie this is from the master deceiver! I have learned in my life when I feel like God is not listening there are three things that I must reconsider.
1.I need to “check my heart” (as comedian John Crist likes to say). If there is any sin or unclean living in my heart and life I must confess it before God.
Psalm 138:6 says that the Lord “regards the lowly, but the haughty He knows from afar.” The lowly are those that humble themselves before the Lord seeking His forgiveness and desiring to follow after Him. These are people that He will regard, meaning He will look upon them, pleased at the sight of them. The haughty or proud will be far from Him, He still knows them inside and out, but there is not close fellowship.
In Psalm 139: 23 the psalmist is humbly crying out to God to search his heart and reveal any hurtful attitudes or anxiety, so that He may walk blamelessly WITH the Lord. So this is where I start when I feel God is not listening to my cries to Him, at repentance.
2.I need to dig deeper into God’s word.
Most likely, if I feel like God is not listening it’s because I am not devouring His word everyday. God speaks to us through general revelation, that is through the creation that He made (Psalm 19 tell us that) BUT we will only fully understand what God is communicating to us through His special revelation, that is through His word, the Scripture.
There are multiple verses in Scripture that show us the importance of knowing what God’s word says and how it helps us in combat. When my kids are out of control, when my circumstances aren’t going the way I planned, God’s word is what is going to direct me, comfort me, and encourage me. This is how God is going to “speak” to me (to us). So if we feel He is not listening because He is not answering, it might be because we are not listening to His word.
Again in Psalm 119 we are reminded that the only way we can keep our way pure is keeping God’s word. In verse 11 it says, “Your word I have treasured in my heart that I may not sin against you.” So when my anger rises up against my children who are out of control, I can stop and pray and allow God to speak through the word I have hidden in my heart. But, I can only do this if I am in His word daily.
3.I need to keep asking and keep asking.
Sometimes when God feels distant and seems like He is not answering, it may be that He is trying to help you grow or He’s trying to change your heart. In my experience, God has been silent because He wanted my faith to be strengthened. When I have to wait on Him and continue to ask, it reminds me that my control is worthless and that I need to put all my stock in His strength to “fix” the problem.
Sometimes the “fix” I want is not His plan, so continuing to talk to Him about it and praying without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 4:16) begins to change my heart to be more like His. It changes my desires to match His desires. I have prayed and prayed for one of my children that has always been extremely difficult to homeschool and I have felt over and over that God is not listening. But my original prayer has changed over time and now my prayer looks very different, my heart has changed.
If you keep asking He will eventually answer or He will change your heart about the situation.
1 Chronicles 16:11 reminds us to “seek the Lord and His strength; seek His face continually.” So our prayers must be continual, not just a hit and run.
One of my very favorite passages to reflect on when I feel like God is not listening is Psalm 37:3-5
3Trust in the Lord and do good; Dwell in the land and cultivate faithfulness. 4 Delight yourself in the Lord; And He will give you the desires of your heart. 5 Commit your way to the Lord, Trust also in Him, and He will do it.
So when I feel like God is not listening I just remember what this passage says…
- Trust Him (knowing that He cares and He IS still there with me)
- To be present where He has placed me, being faithful to the task He has set before me.
- Delight all of myself in who He is focusing on Him.
- Let go of the control (that I never had) and letting Him accomplish what concerns me (Psalm 138:8)
I hope this is encouraging to you and helps you on the days (and weeks) that you feel like God is a great distance from you and is not listening to the cries you are presenting to Him. Stay strong, my friend, He is there and is working on your behalf!
I’d love to hear from you. Send me an email if you have questions or just want to share what God is teaching you.
NOTE: All Scripture was taken from the New American Standard Version.