When God seems absent
Everyone goes through times when God's silence weighs heavily. Prayers never seem to be answered, decisions have to be made in a fog, and the sky seems closed. This silence, though disconcerting, is not foreign to the biblical tradition. On the contrary, it plays an essential and often revealing role. In the Scriptures, God does not always speak loudly. He is sometimes silent, and this silence then becomes a language in its own right.
Silence as a place of waiting
God's silence is often a space of waiting. It does not necessarily mean absence, but rather a suspended time, a fertile hollow where something can be born. In the Book of Habakkuk, the prophet cries out in the face of injustice: "Lord, how long shall I cry out and you will not hear? And God responds, not with immediate action, but with a promise: "The vision awaits its end; it will come, without fail". Silence then becomes the place of naked faith, that which is based not on feeling, but on trust.
The psalms, too, are filled with this tension. The psalmist alternates between distress and hope, pain and praise. He speaks to a God who sometimes seems distant: "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" This cry, echoed by Jesus on the cross, shows how profound and painful silence can be, and at the same time how charged with meaning.
Jesus and the silence of the Father
The silence of God reaches its peak in the passion of Christ. Jesus, in the Garden of Olives, prays to his Father in anguish. He asks that this cup be removed from him, but adds, "Thy will be done." No answer dispelled his confusion. On the cross, he cries out: "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? This cry of abandonment is also a cry of trust, because it is addressed to God. Even in his apparent absence, Jesus remains turned towards his Father.
This silence is not empty. It precedes the Resurrection. It contains the promise of new life. It teaches that even when God seems to be silent, he is acting. In the shadows, in the secret, in the heart.
Learning to dwell in silence
In our daily lives, we would often like God to answer clearly, quickly, like a direct interlocutor. But the Christian faith teaches us to dwell in this silence with patience. God's silence invites us to listen differently. It urges us to grow in freedom, to purify our intentions, to seek God for himself and not just for his answers.
The prophet Elijah, after fleeing into the desert, hears God not in the violent wind, nor in the earthquake, nor in the fire, but in the whisper of a gentle breeze. This story shows that God often speaks in discretion, in the intimate, in what the world considers insignificant.
Silence as a response
God's silence is not always a silence of indifference. It can be a response, a pedagogy, a way of loving. It teaches us to trust, to grow in hope. It can also lead us to be more attentive ourselves. This silence becomes an invitation to deeper prayer, to inner self-denial, to listening to the world and to others.
God is never far away, even when he seems silent. His silence can be inhabited, fruitful, transforming. It is a call to seek differently, to wait with faith, to keep watch, like the wise virgins in the parable.
Conclusion
God's silence in the Bible is not an absence but a mystery. It is an integral part of the relationship with the divine. It questions us, shapes us, teaches us to love unconditionally. Through Job, the psalms, the prophets and Jesus himself, we discover that silence can become a place of encounter and transformation. Learning to inhabit it also means learning to trust in a God who, even when silent, is always present.
