What Do We Do When God Is Silent? | Habakkuk, Injustice & Waiting for Answers | Perspectives FUMCSD Pastors Podcast S4E3
Oct 04, 2026
Summary
What do we do when God is silent? When we pray, ask for help, and nothing seems to change? Can arguing with God actually be an act of faith? In this episode of Perspectives FUMCSD Pastors Podcast, Revs. Trudy and Hannah explore the book of Habakkuk and what this ancient conversation with God might teach us about faith, doubt, injustice, and waiting for answers.
Detail
What do we do when God is silent? When we pray, ask for help, and nothing seems to change? Can arguing with God actually be an act of faith?
In this episode of Perspectives FUMCSD Pastors Podcast, Revs. Trudy and Hannah explore the book of Habakkuk and what this ancient conversation with God might teach us about faith, doubt, injustice, and waiting for answers.
Habakkuk’s story is different than the other prophets. He doesn't quietly accept suffering. He asks God, “How long?” He questions what God is doing, challenges God's response, and brings his anger, anguish, and frustration directly into the relationship. And when God answers, the response doesn't immediately make things better.
Instead, Habakkuk invites us into the uncomfortable space between what is and what we hope will be—a place where faith may mean staying engaged with God even when we don't have answers.
In this conversation, the female pastors explore:
- Why lament can be an expression of faith
- How we can talk honestly with God during times of distress
- Whether questioning or disagreeing with God can be part of faith
- How Habakkuk challenges our certainty about what is “righteous”
- Righteousness as faithfulness and relationship with God, instead of a code of morality
- The danger of assuming we know exactly what God is doing
This is the third conversation in our four-week series, “God Is Still Speaking: Listening in a Noisy World,” exploring what the voice of God might sound and look like in our lives today. Next week, we'll turn to Jeremiah 33:1-3 and “A Word in the Darkness.”
Whether you're exploring progressive Christianity, deconstructing your faith, studying the Bible, pursuing justice, wrestling with theology, or simply asking honest questions about Scripture, we hope you'll join the conversation.
Reflection Questions
- Can arguing with God be an act of faith? If so, have you ever?
- What do we do with God’s silence?
- Do you love God or do you love the blessings of God?
Continue the Conversation
Connect with our faith community in person or online as you reflect on the themes of this episode:
- Convergence discussion group (Sundays at 12 PM): https://www.fumcsd.org/events
- Join our Patreon community
Timestamps
00:00 What do we do when God is silent?
00:53 Habakkuk: a prophet wrestling with silence and suffering
01:18 “How long, O Lord?” — Habakkuk's lament
02:32 Who was Habakkuk?
05:19 When God's answer doesn't make things better
07:41 Can we question or disagree with God?
09:30 Challenging our certainty about what is “righteous”
13:20 Staying in relationship with God without having answers
16:42 Our narrow view of what is righteous
20:40 Finding faith in the middle of uncertainty
24:16 Reflection questions: God's silence, faith, and blessings
