Silent God: Finding Him When You Can't Hear His Voice

by Joseph Bentz

As Christians, many of us experience times in our spiritual lives when it feels like God is silent. For reasons we don’t understand, we’re unable to sense His presence, feel His comfort, or hear His direction. And although we may be following Him as best we know, our spiritual lives feel dry and He seems more distant than ever. In Silent God, Joseph Bentz addresses the pain and bewilderment many feel when they can’t hear God’s voice. He examines the possible influences that can unknowingly invade our lives and block our ability to hear God. Television, radio, iPods, cell phones, internet, email, traffic, and crowded schedules contribute to our noisy world. Every moment is bombarded by noise, both external and mental, that clutters our thoughts and causes us to lose the ability or desire to settle down and really commune with and listen to God. Bentz explains how the accumulation of all this noise can contribute to God’s silence in our lives and shares valuable and practical ways to control the noise so we can hear God once again. He also explores ways God may use silence as a means of working out His spiritual purposes in our lives. Bentz shows how sometimes our spiritual routines become spiritual comforts that, instead of pointing us to God, end up replacing Him. He offers insight and understanding for persevering through the silence and reassures us that doing so will result in essential spiritual growth and a deeper commitment to Christ.Silent God reveals a new understanding of the mystery and power of God and shows how to find Him through the silence and emerge with a greater sense of purpose and a deeper connection with Christ and His love.

192 pages, Paperback

First published June 15, 2007

About the author

Joseph Bentz's books span a variety of genres, including a fantasy novel, three contemporary novels, four non-fiction books on Christian living, and one book/DVD package. Bentz is a frequent speaker at writers conferences, churches, and other venues. He is a professor of English at Azusa Pacific University. He earned a Ph.D. and M.A. in American literature from Purdue University and a B.A. in English from Olivet Nazarene University. He lives with his wife and two children in Southern California. More information on his writing and speaking is available at his website, www.josephbentz.com. His blog, Life of the Mind and Soul, also appears at that site.

Reviews

[Diana Glyer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Joseph Bentz is one of my favorite authors, and this is one of his very best books. It's true: God sometimes seems silent, and distant, and preoccupied, and slow-to-respond. In this book, as always, Bentz is unfailingly honest. But instead of whining and complaining, he helps all of us to wrestle with God's silence by putting it into its biblical context, expanding our understanding of the whys and hows, and showing us what we can do while we wait. Make no mistake: even though the topic is daunting, this book is surprisingly cheerful. The clear writing, fitting examples, practical helps, and great stories make this book a joy from cover to cover. And it will lead to breakthroughs. Recommended for anyone who ever worried about hearing the voice of God.