WHEN GOD IS SILENT, DON’T SEEK AN ALTERNATIVE
IS DIVINE SILENCE A “NO” — OR AN INVITATION TO WAIT? SAUL’S STORY OFFERS A SOBERING ANSWER What do you do when you pray and heaven appears silent? Do you wait? Pray again? Search the Scriptures? Or, like many impatient believers, begin looking for another route? It is a difficult question because human nature does not always tolerate silence. We are comfortable when life moves as expected, doors open, prayers are answered and everything seems to be falling into place. But when there is an unexpected pause, we become restless. We want an explanation. We want an answer. We want movement. Yet, in the spiritual life, silence is not necessarily permission to look elsewhere. Sometimes, it is a test of patience. For the believer, patience is not merely a desirable character trait. It is part of the discipline of walking with God. And when patience is missing, a moment of divine silence can become the beginning of a dangerous search for alternatives. The sto...