Job 23: The Silence of God
WE HAVE ALL experienced someone's mindless chatter or withering judgment at a moment when we needed to be deeply understood. But when we listen—really listen—we "speak" with our ears. We communicate our respect, prize the person and encourage the movement of God in someone's life. Could it be that it's the same with God? Does he communicate his love to us sometimes by listening as we pour out our hearts, rather than finishing our sentences for us and telling us how to feel, what to do, where to go? For twenty-two chapters God has not spoken directly to Job. But God has listened in silence.
Warming Up to God
Recall a time when a friend or family member really listened to you. How did you feel? How did that person's listening help you?
Read Job 23. »
Discovering the Word
- What does Job now want more than anything (see also 29:4-5)? Why?
- Why do you think Job finds God so elusive (vv. 8-9)?
- Job longs for an opportunity to renew friendship with God and present his case, and he is not simply waiting passively. What has he been doing (vv. 10-12)?
- What appears to be Job's main remaining problem in establishing his righteousness with God (vv. 13-17)?
- How does Job's experience show the difference between a God who comforts through silence and an absent god who is not really there at all?
Applying the Word
- Why do you think people sometimes find God unresponsive when they say they are seeking him wholeheartedly?
- The Bible suggests that the people who received mystical experiences of God (Moses, Isaiah, John, and even Job—42:5) were not seeking an overwhelming encounter with God; these experiences were given by God at God's initiative. What does Job's case teach us about waiting?
- How does Job's attitude help you to wait for God?
Responding in Prayer
After you pray about the needs in your life, listen for God's response. Allow even silence to bring you comfort as you trust in his listening ear.
For Further Study
The Joy of Listening to God by Joyce Huggett