Is God Silent?

This topic has come up a couple of times recently. A man I was talking with told me that God is a quiet introvert. And studying Genesis this week there was a 13 year gap between the time that Abram had Ishmael and when God made the covenant with him, and revealed the time line of the birth of Isaac. It was assumed by the ladies in my Bible study that nothing happened in those 13 years.

I have trouble believing that God is a quiet introvert, or that he goes 13 years without speaking to a man who is the "father" of our faith. I just don't see it that way.

In my experience the silence of God is directly related to my obedience, or lack thereof. Or even my own lack of interest in pursuing a relationship with Him. But I have found that God is a constant presence in my life, and He consistently leads me on a daily basis when I seek Him. Yes, there are times when I ask for direction and don't feel I'm given a direct answer. And, I have found that when I don't seek God, he will not often speak to me, though that isn't always the case either. Most of the time we have a quiet, private interaction that doesn't rock the world or stop the presses. And then few and far between there are those extraordinary moments when God moves in my life in such a powerful, incredible way that it must be shared with others. I guess, that's how I see Abram's relationship with God. He was a righteous man, instead of assuming that God was silent those 13 years, I assume that Abram and God walked quietly and privately together daily.

I know the biggest time I felt God's silence was after a season of sin in my life, when I had hardened my heart and twisted God's truth to meet my own agenda. After that time I walked through a desert of silence. It was a consequence of my own making. Though I was forgiven of my sin immediately, I had so tuned out the voice of God during that season that I no longer knew how to hear His voice. It was not until my circumstances broke me and I began to cry out to God in a way I never had before that I once again began to recognize His voice, feel His presence and respond to His leading. My spiritual awakening took several years, but again, I don't think God was silent, it was me who couldn't hear Him.

Now, I am a nobody of Nobodies. And that's what causes me to pause at this concept. Why would God speak to me more than He spoke to Abram, THE Abram? The Answer? I don't think He did.

If you're reading this and have a relationship with God, does God talk to you daily or do you go years and years in silence between epic events?