Challenging the deafening silence of God

Matters of Faith

By Dr. Bascom Ratliff, pastor

Beagle, Fontana, Parker United Methodist Churches

Psalm 13: 1-3a. How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? How long must I wrestle with my thoughts and every day have sorrow in my heart? How long will my enemy triumph over me? Look on me and answer, O Lord my God. Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep in death.

Today's message is about our perceived silence of God. There are times when we feel our

prayers are not answered and that God is simply not listening to our concerns or helping us when we need Him most. We feel like the psalmist in chapter 13, like we are wrestling with our enemy and our struggles are in vain. We call out for God but our pleas are met with a silence that can be, and often is, overwhelming and devastating.

Why is it that sometimes God appears to have deserted us and left us alone in our struggles? Could it be, as my friend suggested when I addressed this question with her, that maybe God has more important things on his mind. Believing she had the upper hand, she continued along this line and suggested that my “petty pleas” were of little interest to God.

I hope that is not the case. I hope that God is interested in my problems. I hope that God's silence is simply an indication that he has given me an opportunity to work things out on my own or that possibly he is answering my prayers, just not in the way that I want.

Still, there are many of us who diligently pray and faithfully wait for answers that seem slow in coming. I have searched the Bible (and Google). I found a number of possible answers to why God is silent. However, most of the answers that I found leave a great deal to be desired.

I struggle with the notion of God simply saying no to my prayers. I struggle with the notion that God is giving me time to work out the problem myself. And I struggle with notion that God is not answering because I am not praying for the right thing.

I would like to think that God hears my prayers, regardless of what they are, and that God responds to my prayers in a loving and kind away. When I not getting the response I want, or feel that I need, it's up to me to stand fast in my prayers and keep pleading with God fro answers.

My simple faith message is this: I have to believe that God answers our prayers. And, the challenge for us is to simply stick with it and continue praying faithfully and sincerely. One of the foundations of our faith is that God loves us without fail. And, because of God's love, we can be assured that he listens to us and responds to us.

There are two passages in Luke that encourage us to be persistent and bold when seeking God's help. The first of these, Luke 11:5-10, tells a story of a man who needs food for a guest late at night. He goes to his neighbor and knocks on the door. The neighbor refuses to get up but the man continues to knock and bother him until the neighbor finally gets up and gives him what he needs.

The second passage, Luke 18:1-8, tells the story of a widow asking an unfair and unbelieving judge for help. The judge doesn't particularly care for God or people and ignores her. However, she keeps coming back and the judge eventually grows weary over her pleading and finally gives her what she wants.

I would suggest that we take the same approach with God.

Never give up. Be persistent, bold, and faithful. Pray with the expectation that God is listening and will answer.

It may take a while. However, the challenge is to remain faithful in a loving and just God. I would suggest that loudly complaining, pleading, and begging are acceptable to God.

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If you are ready to worship and serve a loving God who welcomes everyone to his family, please come worship with us. We will give you a warm welcome, a hot/cold drink, and a homemade cookie. And, most important of all, we will give you an ample sample of God’s wonderful and unfailing love. We won’t ask you for money. We won’t ask you to change your life. We will share the good news of Jesus Christ and the wonderful life God offers to all of us.

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We will have Sunday morning services during the month of July 2026 at 10 a.m. at the Beagle, Kansas, United Methodist Church.

We will have Sunday morning services during the month August 2026 at 10 a.m. at the Fontana, Kansas

We will have Sunday morning services during the month September 2026 at 10 a.m. at the Parker, Kansas United Methodist Church.

We serve communion on the first Sunday of each month.

All are welcome in God’s House.  Come and celebrate with us.

Bascom Ratliff  (913-710-5748)

Pastor: Parker/Beagle/Fontana

United Methodist Churches