God's Silence

[hardthinkingben]

Does anyone have any idea why God doesn't speak to people? Many people from different religions claim that God answers their prayers indirectly but why wouldn't God give a direct answer in a vision or diologue?

[MarcusOfLycia]

He has spoken, and loudly, too. His Word's name is Jesus.

[Seraph]

Jesus was a great way that God spoke directly to people...who lived 2000 years ago. For us alive today who haven't witnessed Jesus or His miracles directly it doesn't do quite as much good.

We experience God/Jesus in our Christian lives but it admittedly isn't as undeniable as we'd often like it to be. This is something that I too am often troubled by. I imagine that there is a reason for a greater purpose that is not spelled out in the Bible that God chooses to hide Himself from people and not reveal Himself as directly as He could. I think we need to be satisfyed with the apparent silence, at least for now.

[MarcusOfLycia]

God apparently felt that Jesus was enough. I have no place therefore to demand more.

That isn't to say I havent had doubts. I do. But the lack of God appearing incarnate again just so I could have a temporary warm fuzzy feeling about His existence seems silly. God has spoken all that is necessary for now- that's been commonly accepted by Christians (not cultists) since His Apostles. I personally don't think it would do much if God spoke audibly to everyone. Most people hated Him when He did it an they even crucified Him. People aren't much better today. I'd argue were worse.

[KravMagaSelfDefense]

Does anyone have any idea why God doesn't speak to people? Many people from different religions claim that God answers their prayers indirectly but why wouldn't God give a direct answer in a vision or diologue?

In the Old Testament He did such things because no one could know Him personally, so HE had to come to them and talk to them. Now we have His word, we have Jesus and most of all the opportunity to be in a personal friendship with him. I know the feeling well of praying to God and feeling a presence right beside me, i.e. when praying about a problem I feel a blessed reassurance, an invisible hand on my shoulder, that I know is not hallucination. If you are having a hard time being in a personal friendship with God, pray more often and read His word, if you do then you will feel his presence very strongly, it's that feeling that I get that proves to me the existence of God, unfortunately that's not accepted by most atheists. Anyways, take care and thanks for reading!

[Katabole]

why wouldn't God give a direct answer in a vision or diologue?

Well, I believe that God has. He has revealed everything we need to know in His Word. Let me emphasize that word "need". The Bible does not tell us everything we "want" to know, even though it would be intriguing if it did. Just those things we need to know.

God also has a time schedule.

Ecclesiastes 3:1 (KJV) To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:

Jesus before He ascended to heaven in the book of Acts also said something about a time schedule:

Acts 1:7 (KJV) And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power.

And if you read the book of Daniel, it says quite a number of times that God's overall plan will eventually come to fruition in what Daniel terms as either the "latter days" and/or "time of the end."

Part of the discipline of being a Christian is waiting. Waiting takes discipline. The word 'disciple' comes from that word discipline. Just like waiting in line at a supermarket or at the shopping mall during Christmas, it does get frustrating but you eventually get to the check-out counter. Many people in the past waited for the return of Christ and when Christ didn't return during the time that they thought, they became disgruntled. Many of us Christians presently, wait patiently for God to ultimately bring justice and to reveal Himself fully, which is a promise God has made in scripture.

I really like Zephaniah, chapter three, verse eight. To my knowledge, it is the only verse in the Old Testament which contains within it, every letter of the Hebrew alphabet. It is written to those who wait patiently and contains the plan that God will eventually reveal in Christ's second advent. One day we'll see God face to face. That's a promise by Christ for believers, that you can take to the bank.

Zephaniah 3:8 (KJV) Therefore wait ye upon me, saith the LORD, until the day that I rise up to the prey: for my determination is to gather the nations, that I may assemble the kingdoms, to pour upon them mine indignation, even all my fierce anger: for all the earth shall be devoured with the fire of my jealousy.

[Canuckster1127]

On what basis would anyone claim God doesn't speak to people? How many people are there who are alive not or who have ever lived? Someone can make an assertion of all these people's individual experiences and draw a negative conclusion, how? Sounds like either projection or circular reasoning to me.