God, don’t shut me out; don’t give me the silent treatment, O God. Psalm 83:1 (MSG)

My daughter is trying to figure out her future. She put off her freshman year in college to spend the year on a missions trip abroad. So, she knows what’s she’s doing for the next few months, but then things get really fuzzy. She’s not sure what she’s going to do when she gets back. There are so many options available to her. She prays for clarity, but God seems silent.

I was hanging out the other morning with some friends. One of them asked another what his plan was regarding a significant life choice ahead. "I don’t know," the other answered, "I pray about it all the time. I keep asking God for the road map, but He won’t give it to me."

My wife and I have been praying consistently and continuously for years that God would answer one specific request. The answer has not come and I must admit that I am often left feeling shut out by the silence I feel from God’s end of the conversation. I hate it when God is silent. Though, it seems a common experience. Even the most faithful of followers feel their prayers bounce off the ceiling at times.

I always remind myself of some of the impassioned requests I made of my parents when I was young. Sometimes I felt that my plea fell on deaf ears, but now I look back and understand why. In some cases I was being a self-centered child and needed to grow up. In other cases, granting my request would not have, ultimately, been good for me. Despite my abject frustration at the time, I realize my parents had my best interest in mind. I have to trust that my Heavenly Father does, as well.

Creative Commons photo courtesy of Flickr and benandjenn