Finding God’s Voice in the Silence: Reflections on Psalm 80

by Rick Stelle

Psalm 80, New Revised Standard Version

1 Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel, you who lead Joseph like a flock! You who are enthroned upon the cherubim, shine forth 2 before Ephraim and Benjamin and Manasseh. Stir up your might, and come to save us! 3 Restore us, O God; let your face shine, that we may be saved. 4 O Lord God of hosts, how long will you be angry with your people’s prayers? 5 You have fed them with the bread of tears, and given them tears to drink in full measure. 6 You make us the scorn[a] of our neighbors; our enemies laugh among themselves. 7 Restore us, O God of hosts; let your face shine, that we may be saved. 8 You brought a vine out of Egypt; you drove out the nations and planted it. 9 You cleared the ground for it; it took deep root and filled the land. 10 The mountains were covered with its shade, the mighty cedars with its branches; 11 it sent out its branches to the sea, and its shoots to the River. 12 Why then have you broken down its walls, so that all who pass along the way pluck its fruit? 13 The boar from the forest ravages it, and all that move in the field feed on it. 14 Turn again, O God of hosts; look down from heaven, and see; have regard for this vine, 15 the stock that your right hand planted. 16 They have burned it with fire, they have cut it down; may they perish at the rebuke of your countenance. 17 But let your hand be upon the one at your right hand, the one whom you made strong for yourself. 18 Then we will never turn back from you; give us life, and we will call on your name. 19 Restore us, O Lord God of hosts; let your face shine, that we may be saved.

My first thoughts were “I don’t understand”. It describes an angry God who isn’t listening to his people’s prayers. The God that I know and worship is a loving, forgiving, caring God that is with me always. He hears me and guides me.

He answers all my prayers but sometimes he says “no”. This isn’t because I have been forsaken or because he is unable to. God can do all things. Sometimes He says no because I already have what I’m praying for, but I just can’t see it. It might not be the right time or it doesn’t fit into His plans. Sometimes He says yes but I am unable to hear His voice.

My prayers are more of a conversation with God. I’ll be talking and asking, but I can’t hear His voice. In that silence I begin to hear my voice in my head and many times it leads me to finding answers and direction. Was that my voice I heard or was it God’s. I have come to realize that God’s voice is everywhere, all we need to do is recognize it in all its forms.