WHEN GOD IS SILENT

By Michael K. Farrar, O.D.

© God’s Breath Publications

 

Matthew 27:46, Mark 15:34

 

“Jesus cried out in a loud voice,

‘Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?’‑which means,

“My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”

 

We’ve all heard these words of Jesus shared in an Easter sermon. They are horrible words that reflect suffering and torment. They give us an ominous feeling of aloneness as we contemplate what Christ our Savior must have been going through as He offered Himself up as a sacrifice for our sins. What is even more chilling is the silence that follows. We hear no response from God like the ones we read of at Jesus’ baptism or transfiguration.

 

In Matthew 3:17, Mark 1:11, Luke 3:22, we read the following words spoken by God to all who were present, “And a voice from heaven said, ‘This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.’” Here at the baptism of Christ an audible voice is heard from heaven telling all who are present who Jesus was, that God loved Him and that God took pleasure in Him. It is an opportunity God took advantage of to verify and proclaim the value of the life and ministry of His Son, Jesus Christ.

 

In Matthew 17:5, Mark 9:7, Luke 9:34‑35 we are given the account of the transfiguration of Jesus, where His appearance becomes a blinding brilliant white. We hear God speak audibly again to those who are present. “While he was still speaking, a bright cloud enveloped them, and a voice from the cloud said, ‘This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!’” Here we see another situation where God chooses to speak audibly to testify of the veracity of Christ’s life and ministry. Again God proclaims who Jesus is, that He loves Him and that He is pleased with Him. It is interesting that God, in this instance, gives a command to those who are present. He tells them to listen to what Jesus has to say.

 

These instances in scripture, of God speaking audibly to individuals, are dramatic situations of importance. Jesus’ baptism reflects the beginning of His ministry. It is, in a sense, an anointing of Jesus for the life He is to lead serving His Heavenly Father. The transfiguration reflects the glory that is embodied in Christ and it also verified His ministry and the truthfulness of His message.

 

So why did God remain silent at the crucifixion? I can’t think of a more appropriate time for God to speak to those present, can you? What better time would there be to declare the purpose behind the death of His Son? Couldn’t God have made an audible pronouncement? Something like, “This is my Son, whom I love; with Him I am well pleased. Accept Him as your Savior!” It is a mystery why God was so silent at such a time. Some have said that at this moment God had to turn His face from Jesus because He could not look upon the sin that Jesus was taking upon Himself. While this may be true, in the other instances when God spoke, He was not speaking to His Son, He was bearing witness of His Son to those present. Why couldn’t God have spoken, not to His Son dying on the cross, but the crowds of soldiers, shepherds, religious people and disciples who were present? We can relate to this silence in our own lives.

 

We have all been through situations where we felt that we needed God to speak but He seemed to remain silent. Sometimes we have cried out in anger, in pain or in desperation for God to speak to us. We are confused and hurt that God doesn’t seem to hear us, to respond to our prayers the way we need. Why does God remain silent at such times? Why don’t we feel His presence? Why do we not hear His soft voice of love and assurance speak to us? Maybe if we look at the possible reasons God remained audibly silent during the crucifixion we can understand.

 

By remaining silent at the crucifixion God shows us that He may choose, according to His wisdom, to work in other ways to address our needs. He may also patiently wait for the appropriate time to respond. Trials have the capacity to produce patience and maturity if we respond to them appropriately. If God spoke every time and in exactly the way we wanted each time we called out to Him, how much would our faith develop? In Hebrews 11:1 we are given the definition of faith, “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” Possibly faith is the evidence of things not heard as well? So maybe part of the answer of God’s silence in the crucifixion was to show us that God might remain silent at times to allow our faith to grow in His invisible and inaudible workings.

 

The faith of all those who claimed to believe in Christ was tested at the cross. There before them lay their Master, their friend, their brother. It was a tense time of faith for those that knew Him.

 

The unbelief of the crowds was tested as well when darkness fell upon the earth; the temple veil was torn in two, and when numerous believers were raised from their graves. God worked in these other ways to allow faith to be tested and unbelief to be challenged. God did not have to speak audibly of His purposes or of His Kingdom because of the other events that took place at this time. This may demonstrate another point to His silence.

 

God may choose to remain silent at times because He is working in other ways to gain our attention or show us His faithfulness. Our claims or suspicions that God turns a deaf ear to our cries for help are invalid. Many times God answers our prayers of petition in ways we don’t perceive at the time? Maybe if we were more watchful of God’s ways and more sensitive to His patterns of ministry we would see that God speaks through other means than audible voices?

 

It is also true that when God does not immediately answer, He wishes for us to process issues we have been facing with the input of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit convicts us when we have sinned. He encourages us when we are discouraged. He empowers us when we need to endure trials. He comforts us when we are wounded. If we have developed a growing relationship with Him through reading God’s Word and allowing Him to teach us, the trials we face are times when He can minister to us in very powerful intimate ways.

 

There is at least one other purpose behind God’s silence at the words of anguish of Christ. Maybe He wanted us to see the depth and breadth of the identification Jesus had with the sufferings we experience in our lives. When we read those words, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” we know that our Savior, our Lord, our Master has been where we have been in the past, where we are currently, or where we might be in the future. We have a Savior who has identified with what suffering can entail. We can know that the Lord has experienced what it is like to suffer horribly and feel like God has abandoned us. While our emotions drive us to the suspicion that God is not there, our faith should shout loudly to us that God cares and is close by our side. While our doubts may seek to distract us to despair, God’s Spirit who lives within us as believers draws us back to the reality of God’s love and care for us. While we may question that God knows how we feel, the witness of Christ’s sufferings on the cross penetrate our heart with the truth that God knows too well how we suffer.

 

Yes, God sometimes chooses not to speak in times of needs. But, we must remember that while we don’t hear Him speak, we need to look for other ways He is working out His purposes. We need to look upon the situation as an opportunity for our faith in Him to grow. We need to trust that our loving Father is working out His perfect will in our life and the lives of others. We need to remember that God is a good God. We need to remember to look to His Holy written Word through which He can speak to us intimately and adequately. We need to remember that God so loved us that He gave His only Son as a sacrifice for our salvation.

 

The next time you are hurting, burdened or traumatized, open God’s Word to Psalm 91 and read this chapter. Pray that the Holy Spirit will speak to you as you read it. Expect for Him to encourage you in your faith, trust in God for deliverance and bring peace to your soul. God loves you more than you will ever know. Remember, He sent His Son to die for your sins. What a sacrifice that was for Him as well as His Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.

 

“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”

Romans 8:28‑29