Why is God silent? This is a question we are used to asking everyone, not just ourselves. If God is silent, there are certain reasons for that. But what if it’s not about God, it’s about us? Maybe we are the ones who are not able to listen and hear Him?
We constantly pray to God for something one way or another, in various life situations. The sick pray for health, the poor ask not to starve, the suffering seek happiness, sinners pray for forgiveness. But our prayers and supplications are not always fulfilled, so, with a certain grumbling, dissatisfaction and indignation, we often ask the priest and our friends and relatives at the confession: “Why is God silent?” “Why doesn’t he hear my prayers?”
For many, God’s silence is a sign that He does not exist. And if a person does not get what he asks for, then he stops praying at all, falls into discouragement and renounces God. With such an understanding of faith, prayer is experienced as a kind of magical ritual: you read the prayer and immediately get what you have been looking for for so long. Unfortunately, even in prayer we seek some lasting benefit for ourselves: If we get what we ask for, then we gladly give thanks and praise God, but if we do not do so, then we easily renounce Him.
Why is God silent? This is a question we are used to asking everyone, not just ourselves. If God is silent, there are certain reasons for that. But what if it’s not about God, it’s about us? Maybe we are the ones who are not able to listen and hear Him? Of course, the Lord hears our prayers and always speaks to us invisibly in a quiet whisper of love. But why is He not in a hurry to answer our requests?
First, to test our faith in love and devotion to Him. The time in which we wait for what we have been looking for is the most saving time for a man who is praying. It is a kind of spiritual training in patience and prayer. Difficulties teach us to pray. God expects us not to rely on our own strength, but to leave our whole lives in His hands. Father John (Krestiankin) said many times that he did not pray as well anywhere as in prison. “I had a real prayer in prison,” he says. “And that’s because I was on the verge of death every day.” To learn to pray, we must go through a pot of temptation, and that is why difficulties are the driving force that teaches us to pray. An elder was once asked how he was progressing in constant prayer, and he replied that he had been taught by demons. His disciples asked in confusion: How can this be? And he replied that the demons tormented him so much that he was constantly in prayer, which turned prayer from a habit into a constant effort.
Second, we must understand that God’s silence speaks for itself, because His answer always lies in silence, namely: Either what we prayed is harmful and dangerous for us, or the time has not yet come for what we have prayed to bring the greatest benefit for our souls. Often when we ask for something, we do it out of ignorance, not understanding the full measure of responsibility and difficulties that could immediately follow the fulfillment of our request. And sometimes it happens that we ask one thing from God, and He gives another. For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord (Isa. 55: 8). For example, someone asks God for their son or daughter to start correcting, changing, and God sends the disease to them or their parents, and then they really start thinking and repenting.
Third, our prayers must be in accordance with God’s will (cf. 1 John 5:14: And this is the confidence we have in Him, that if we ask for anything according to His will, He will hear us). Therefore, God will hear only what is not sought for our benefit, but what is in accordance with His will. And how can we learn this will of God? The will of God for every man is revealed in the Gospel, hence: Everything that comes from the Gospel is God’s commitment to us. Out of ignorance, we often pray for things that are not relevant to the work of our spiritual salvation. Saint Isaac the Syrian warns that we must be afraid not to offend the greatness of God in prayer by asking for earthly things, because He Himself gives everything that is necessary for life according to His providence. Often a person does not get what he asked for because he does not seek the good or bliss of his soul, but to use it for his desires (cf. Jos. 4: 3). Of course, the believer will not ask for what is harmful for his soul, but even asking for great Christian virtues from God, it is important to remember that they are given to man not immediately, but when he is most ready to accept God’s gifts. Therefore, it is dangerous to receive God’s grace before the appropriate time, if experience and time do not teach us first.
Fourth, before we complain to God, that he is hard-hearted and does not hear our prayers, we must make sure how well we hear God and that we are ready to live in accordance with His gospel commandments. How careful and compassionate are we at the pleas of others, especially those unfortunate people who have fallen in difficult times? Remember how indifferently we passed by people who were suffering, begging for help, and we did not take their requests seriously, how indifferently we left these unfortunate people to die in the gutter, turning away from them, averting our eyes and covering our ears, considering such people a burden to society and the dead to the world. After all this, do we have the right to hope that God will hear us? And this blessed lesson from God is extremely important for us, to see ourselves. Before we ask God for anything, we must mourn the callousness of our heart toward others, and then hope to hear it.
Last week was dedicated to paralysis. For thirty-eight years he suffered from a terrible disease. But there was no one who would want to lend him a helping hand to lower him into the pool so he could recover. This Gospel passage is very revealing, because above all it shows the attachment of each person to himself, and this can be characterized as egocentrism, clearly expressed in the unwillingness to leave our personal comfort zone for the benefit of others.
Remembering the paralytic, do not despair when you think that people have left you, when you do not have the support of hope – God tests us to the last, but at the same time, He is always close and sees our feat. And He comes when a person stops relying on himself and on the help of those who can’t really help him. This is a real miracle for those who can wait patiently.
Our faith is above all a living and active faith, filled with good deeds and focused on helping others. One must remain human no matter what. There was one Greek philosopher, Diogenes. He allowed himself all sorts of eccentric antics in order to expose the vices of society. Then one sunny day he went out to the central square with a lantern and started shouting: “I’m looking for a man, I’m looking for a man!” At this cry, people ran, to which Diogenes said: “I called people, not slaves!” we are slaves to ourselves in many ways. We build a great idol from our own “I”, sympathizing with it, nurturing it, sacrificing ourselves every day and not denying ourselves anything.
We remember that God always answers our prayers in one way or another, but not always the way we want and not always at the time we have planned. God’s silence always teaches us something. Waiting for an answer from God is a matter of patience, repentance and personal prayer. Let us learn to wait on the Lord every day, because He is much closer to us than we think. Let us think about what we have done wrong, repent and change our ways, because Christ visits us every day in the depths of our hearts, if we live in humble expectations.
Amen.
Sermon of hieromonk Kiril (Popovich)