What to do when you feel like God can’t hear you

Perhaps you’ve heard the saying, “nothing happens, nothing happens, then everything happens.” Sometimes that’s exactly what life seems like. There are quiet seasons, and then there are seasons where it seems like we are under attack and everything is happening at once. It feels like in more recent days, a lot of people have been going through a lot of really heavy situations.

So what do you do when you feel like you can’t hear God, or when you feel like God can’t hear you?

Although it’s a whole lot easier to say (or to write) than it is to put into practice, here are some of truths that I keep reminding myself of when I feel like God can’t hear me.

You are heard. So keep praying. “I will call on you, my God, for you will answer me; turn your ear to me and hear my prayer.” (Psalm 17:6) Oh, can it ever be hard to keep praying, especially when you’re feeling discouraged or like you’re going through the darkest season of your life. When you feel like God can’t hear you, consider David. At one point in his life, entire nations stood against him. He literally had to flee for his life and live in the wilderness. Even when it seemed like God couldn’t hear him, David kept praying and crying out to God. Take note how in many of his psalms, David starts off with a cry for help, and finishes with his thanks for the Lord hearing his prayer.

You are seen. So keep your focus on God. “The eyes of the LORD are in every place, watching the evil and the good.” (Proverbs 15:3) Even in the times when you feel like you can’t hear God, or like He can’t hear you, remember that He not only hears you; He sees you as well. In fact, we’re told throughout Scripture that God sees everyone and everything; nothing is hidden from Him (Job 34:21, Psalm 66:7, Psalm 33, Proverbs 5:21). In Psalm 33:13, we’re told that “The LORD looks from heaven; He sees all the sons of men.” Somehow, when we keep our focus on the Lord and His promises rather than on our problems, the Lord has a tendency to retrain our thoughts.

You are loved. So keep loving. “Let love and faithfulness never leave you.” (Proverbs 3:3) When it seems like everyone is against you and like God can’t hear you, it’s easy to feel like you’re all alone and that you’re not loved. Rest assured though; even when you don’t feel it, God loves you. We’re promised in Zephaniah 3:17 that God will quiet us with His love. And, we know from John 3:16 that God loves us so much that He sent His only begotten Son to die for our sins so that we might live. If that’s not love, I don’t know what is! When we don’t feel loved, it’s a natural reaction to become bitter or to harden our hearts. That’s why it’s so important to continue showing love, even when others don’t necessarily show it back to you. “Love one another,” is what we’re commanded in John 13:34.

Even when you can’t hear God, see God, or feel God, God is still working. It’s quite often in the hard and silent seasons that God gets our attention. So stay focused on Him! He is at work! “Behold, I will do a new thing, now it shall spring forth; shall you not know it? I will even make a road in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.” (Isaiah 43:19)

Originally published as “What to do when you feel like God can’t hear you.” Minto Express, Independent Plus, Arthur Enterprise-News, Mount Forest Confederate. October 5, 2017: 7. Print. Web.