Pathway to Victory

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Hey podcast listeners. Thanks for streaming today's podcast from Pathway to Victory and Dr. Robert Jeffress.

We're dedicated to bringing you bold biblical teaching that transforms your life and strengthens your walk with God.

And you can study God's word alongside Dr. Jeffress in person on the 2026 Pathway to Victory Cruise to Alaska.

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Have you ever witnessed the breathtaking majesty of massive glaciers rising from crystal blue waters? Or stood in awe as bald eagles soar over snow-capped mountains?

I want you to experience these unforgettable moments with me on the Pathway to Victory Cruise to Alaska, June 13th through 20th, 2026.

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Join Dr. Jeffress and the Pathway to Victory family for a spectacular seven-day adventure aboard Holland America's luxurious Koningsdam.

Indulge in elegant staterooms, world-class dining, and expansive decks perfect for breathtaking views.

Visit historic ports like Juneau, Skagway, and Ketchikan, where wilderness and frontier history await.

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There's something powerful about connecting with God.

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And fellow believers in the majesty of his untamed wilderness.

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I truly believe this journey will refresh you spiritually, physically and emotionally.

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Cabins are filling quickly, so reserve yours today. To book your spot on the 2026 Pathway to Victory cruise to Alaska, call 888-280-6747 or go to ptv.org now. Here's today's podcast from Pathway to Victory.

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Hi, this is Robert Jeffress and I'm.

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Glad to study God's Word with you every day on this Bible teaching program.

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On today's edition of Pathway to Victory.

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Throughout the centuries, men and women of faith have wrestled with what theologians call the hiddenness of God, what I like to call God's thundering silence. Why is it that we experience God's thundering silence in our life?

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Welcome to Pathway to Victory with author and pastor Dr. Robert Jeffress. Have you ever cried out to God in desperate need only to be met with silence? Maybe you begged for healing or pleaded for guidance or sought answers to life's most pressing questions, but heaven seems to be quiet today.

On Pathway to Victory, Dr. Robert Jeffress explores four biblical reasons why God sometimes seems silent in our lives. But first, let's take a minute to hear some important ministry updates.

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Thanks, David, and welcome again to Pathway to Victory. Tragically, some people view God's will like a massive 1,000 piece jigsaw puzzle scattered across the table. It's like we're sitting there, overwhelmed, picking up random pieces, growing frustrated when nothing seems to fit together. Let me assure you, God's will is nothing like that; he's not leaving you staring at a box of jumbled pieces, expecting you to somehow assemble the complete picture on your own.

He's crafted a plan for every believer's life, including yours. In my teaching series called "How to Make Wise Decisions," which concludes on Friday's program, I'm showing you that God's will, while sometimes mysterious, is not unknowable. As a complement to our study, I've written a book called "How to Make Wise Decisions," and when you give a generous gift to support the ministry of Pathway to Victory, you're invited to request a copy.

Bear in mind that Pathway to Victory is looking to add 50 new pathway partners to our family of supporters. A Pathway partner is someone who elects to give a monthly contribution in the amount that suits your desire and capacity. We'll share more details at the end of today's program, so this is just a heads up to be ready to jot down our contact information.

But right now, it's time to get started with our study in the series called "How to Make Wise Decisions." I titled today's message "God's Thundering Silence."

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As I look through the Scriptures, I discover that there are at least four reasons the Bible gives us for God's silence in our life. First of all, the Bible says one reason for God's silence may be unconfessed sin in our life. Isaiah 59:2 states, "Your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you so that he does not hear." The Scripture is very clear: sin in our life is a barrier between us and God. It keeps God from hearing or answering our prayers.

Now, people always say when I make that point, "Well, wait a minute, Robert, God's already forgiven me of all of my sins. How do my sins become a barrier between God and me?" That's a great question, but it's a question that fails to note the difference between God's judicial forgiveness of my sins and God's parental forgiveness of my sins. You might want to write those phrases down: judicial forgiveness and parental forgiveness; they're altogether different. God's judicial forgiveness is what happens the moment I trust in Christ as my Savior. But the fact that you have become a child of God doesn't prevent you from experiencing God's parental disapproval for your mistakes. One reason sometimes God says no to our requests, or remains silent, is to get our attention and remind us that we need his parental forgiveness.

A second reason for God's silence can be what I call uncontrolled emotions. If, like me, you have a house filled with girls, you probably know that the care and tending to of hair is a full-time occupation. I remember when our girls were very small. My job on Saturday night after their bath would be to blow dry their hair while they sat on the sofa and watched some television program. So I'd be blow drying their hair, but invariably the whirring blow dryer would drown out the sound coming from the television set. I would always reach for my trusty remote control, which was never far from me, and crank up the volume to overcome the blow dryer.

Now, why would I do that? Is it because no sound was emanating from the television set? No, there were voices coming from that television set. It wasn't that there were no voices coming; it was that the proximity of the hairdryer, that other sound, was drowning out the voice coming from the set. It's the same way with God's voice in our life. Many times God is speaking to us, but we can't hear him because there is another sound drowning out his voice. Perhaps of all of the emotions close to us that overshadow God's voice in our life, none is more potent than the emotion of fear. Fear has a way of deafening and silencing the voice of God in our life.

Perhaps you have felt like God has been speaking to you about a particular matter. Maybe God is leading you to a new vocation, or you feel like he may be uprooting you and moving you to a new city. Maybe God is leading you to marry a particular person, or you even feel the call into the ministry. God has spoken to you, but all of a sudden your mind has been seized and paralyzed by those two words: "What if?" What if I obey God and enter this new line of work and my business goes bankrupt? What if I marry this person I believe God is leading me to, but the marriage ends in divorce? What if I obey God's call to the ministry but no church will ever call me? What if?

By the way, Abraham dealt with his own "what ifs." Abraham was a great man of faith, perhaps the greatest man of faith in all the Old Testament. In fact, if you look in the dictionary under the word "faith," you see Abraham's picture right there. He was a model of faith. One of the greatest demonstrations of faith is found in Genesis chapter 14, which recounts Abram's daring rescue of his nephew Lot from the kings of the East. After he rescued Lot, the king of Sodom was so grateful for what Abraham had done that he said, "Abraham, I'm going to make you a wealthy man. I'm going to give you a portion of my riches because of what you have done." Abraham replied, "No, I don't want your money, King of Sodom. I don't want anyone to doubt that the Lord is my provider. I'm going to refuse the riches and let God provide for me." What a great act of faith!

But that act of faith was followed by many moments of doubt. Abraham began to reconsider his choice and started playing the "what if" game. What if the kings of the East regroup and decide to attack me again? What if my wife Sarah decides she wants to marry a wealthier man? What if my IRA isn't sufficient to provide for my retirement needs? What if? It was in that moment of fear that God came to Abram in Genesis 15:1 and said to him, "Do not fear, Abram, for I am a shield to you. Your reward shall be very great." God reassured Abraham, saying, "Don't worry. I am your shield. I am your protector. Nothing is going to come into your life that I haven't ordained for you."

Ladies and gentlemen, whenever you are overcome by the emotion of fear, Paul said we need to hold up the shield of faith by which we will be able to extinguish the arrows of the evil one. What is the shield of faith God gives us? It is God himself—a faith in God, the assurance that God is not going to allow anyone or anything to come into our life that is not a part of his perfect plan for us, a plan designed for our good and for his glory.

There's a third reason sometimes God is silent, and that is what I call unpredictable timing. The reason God doesn't answer is that he's not ready to answer yet; he has something else he is doing that is beyond our comprehension. A great illustration of that is found in John 11. This is the familiar story of Mary and Martha and their brother Lazarus. Remember Mary and Martha, two sisters, and their brother Lazarus? They were Jesus' closest friends here on earth. Wouldn't it be neat to be known as Jesus' best friends? These were Jesus' very best friends, and that's why when Lazarus became ill, it was only natural for Mary and Martha to send word to Jesus and say, "Jesus, your best friend, the one whom you love, Lazarus, is sick. Please come and heal him."

However, their request was met with silence. Look at verse 5: "Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. When therefore Jesus heard that Lazarus was sick, he stayed then two days longer in the place where he was." Instead of coming and healing Lazarus, Jesus stayed there and waited until Lazarus died. And yet he was Lazarus' best friend! You almost have to think, with friends like Jesus, who needs any enemies? Why in the world would he do that? Why would he allow Lazarus to die instead of answering the request for healing?

When Jesus finally got around to going to Bethany to visit Mary and Martha and their dead brother, Martha was ready to let him have a piece of her mind. By the way, I have to confess to you, I like Martha. I know you're supposed to like Mary better, but I like Martha. You know, all this talk about having a Mary heart in a Martha world—I like Martha. The reason I like her is that she was willing to ask Jesus the hard questions, and she wasn't timid. So she runs out to meet the Lord and says, "Lord, if you had only been here, our brother Lazarus would still be alive. Why did you wait? Why did you delay?"

The reason was that Jesus and Martha had two different goals and therefore two different timetables. Martha's goal was immediate healing for her brother Lazarus. Jesus' goal was ultimate resurrection—not only for Lazarus but for everyone who would believe in him. You see, Jesus had a plan. His plan included allowing Lazarus to die so that a few days later, Jesus could raise Lazarus from the dead as proof to anyone who would trust in him that he was capable of performing resurrection. Two different goals and therefore two different timetables.

Think about Moses. Remember Moses? From the time he was small, God had said to Moses that he was going to be the great liberator of Israel from Egyptian bondage. Moses felt like that was his calling in life—his life work, if you will. He grew up doing nothing in his teenage years, nothing in his 20s, and nothing in his 30s. Finally, about the time he was 40, Acts 7 says he had a midlife crisis. He decided, "I'm not getting any younger, and if I'm going to be the liberator of Israel, I better take matters into my own hands." You know the story: he saw a fight going on between an Egyptian soldier and one of the Israelites, and he decided to intervene. He killed the Egyptian soldier, thinking the Israelites would rally behind him and that would begin the revolution.

It didn't quite work out that way, did it? Instead, the Israelites didn't follow after him. Moses spent the next 40 years in exile, running from Pharaoh and doing nothing but tending sheep in the wilderness. I imagine it was during those 40 years that Moses had some hard questions for God. "God, have you forgotten about me? Have you forgotten the role to which you've called me? What about your promise that I would be the liberator of Israel?" There is no record that God said anything to Moses during those 40 years. Why didn't he answer Moses? It's because Moses and God had a different timetable.

God hadn't forgotten about Moses; he knew exactly where Moses was. But God had something he was doing over here in Egypt that Moses was completely unaware of. It was time for a change of pharaohs, and God was going to bring that about before he ever accomplished his purpose with Moses. That's why in Exodus 2:23-24, it says, "Now it came about in the course of many days, months, and years. It came in the course of those many days that the king of Egypt died, and the sons of Israel sighed because of their bondage. So God heard their groanings." On a day that began just like any other day for the last 40 years, Moses was out tending the sheep. But on that particular day, God came to Moses and said, "It's time. It's time."

By the way, don't be surprised if the same thing doesn't happen to you. Some of you are right now waiting on God to fulfill his promise to you. You're waiting on God to act, thinking, "God's forgotten all about you." He hasn't. He knows exactly where you are right now. But God may have something he's doing over here in other people's lives. He may be rearranging people and circumstances to bring his will for you about. And on a day that begins like any other day, God's going to come to you suddenly and dramatically and say, "It's time. It's time."

There's a fourth reason that sometimes God is silent in our life: God makes us wait because of an undeveloped faith. Ben Patterson says that what God does in us while we are waiting is sometimes more important than that which we're waiting for. So many times we think that waiting is something we just endure until God gives us what we want. But it's in the waiting that we become the kind of person God wants us to become. Soren Kierkegaard says that we Christians are like school children who want to go to the back of the book and look up the math answers instead of working through the problems ourselves. But we all know that the learning comes not from getting the answers but from going through the process—the struggle of arriving at the right answer.

It's the same way in God's dealing with us. God is much more interested in what he is doing in your life than in giving you the answer that he wants to give you. I want you to think about this for a moment: what is it you're asking for right now from God that he couldn't grant you immediately if he wanted to? It's not that God's incapable, but God knows that it is in the waiting that we become the people he wants us to become. What is it that God is working on developing in your life right now? It's the quality of faith. More than anything else in your life, God wants you to develop faith. Hebrews 11 says, "Without faith, it is impossible to please God."

What is faith? It is the assurance that God is going to do what he has promised to do. God wants to develop in you and me that assurance that he can be trusted, that he's going to do what he's promised to do. And, ladies and gentlemen, we can never develop faith without waiting. Think about it: if God gave us immediately everything we asked for, where would the faith be? It is through waiting that we develop faith. In Romans 5:3-4, Paul says, "And not only this, we exult—that is, we rejoice—in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance, and perseverance brings about proven character, and proven character hope."

In his book *Sabbatical Journeys*, Henry Nguyen tells about a family he visited once. They were a family of trapeze artists that called themselves the Flying Rudelas. They were talking about the trapeze act and that crucial relationship that exists between the flyer—the person that lets go of the trapeze bar—and the catcher, the one that catches the person who has let go of the trapeze bar. They said there comes that crucial time in a trapeze act when the flyer lets go of the bar, arcs out into space, and then waits for the catcher to catch him. They said to Nguyen, "The flyer must never try to catch the catcher. Instead, he must wait in stillness for the catcher to do his work."

For some of you right now, you've released, you've let go, and you're waiting. You're waiting on God to do something. God's message for you this morning is, "Be still and know that I am God. I will catch you. I will answer you in my way and in my time." For some of you here this morning, you are waiting on God. You desperately want God's answer to your situation. One reason for God's silence in your life, one possible reason, may be that there is a distance between you and God.

For some of you this morning, the most important decision you could make is the decision to become a Christian—to trust in Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. To believe that there's nothing you and I can ever do to earn God's forgiveness; we receive it as a gift. That's why God provided Jesus, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the earth. When we trust in Jesus as our Savior, we believe that Jesus endured the punishment from God that we deserve for our sins. By trusting in Jesus, we can experience that judicial forgiveness—to know that God has declared us not guilty, that our place in God's heaven is secure, and that our place in God's family is assured.

Today, if you would like to know for sure that you're a Christian, that you have received God's forgiveness, that you're no longer his enemy but have become his child, I want to invite you to say, "Pastor, today I want to trust in Christ to be my Savior. Today I'm ready to become a Christian." There are some of you who made that decision some time ago, but when I talk about some area of disobedience that may have caused a break in your relationship with God, you...

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Know what that area is.

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I don't need to know it. But you know and God knows. And maybe today you would come just in rededication of your life saying, God, I'm ready. I'm ready to get back into a right relationship with you. I confess this area of disobedience in my life. Today I'm ready to start obeying you in every part of my life.

If that's your decision, we invite you to come today to begin anew that relationship with God. Father, help us understand that tug we feel in our hearts right now is the voice of your Holy Spirit. I pray no one would resist his voice today, for it's in the saving name of Christ.

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We pray.

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Amen.

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Even at this very moment, I know I'm speaking to someone who's been catapulted into the air and you're waiting for God to grasp your hands and catch you. I'm asking God to use today's message to assure you that he's trustworthy and faithful and will not let you fall.

Remember this teaching series on how to Make Wise Decisions will conclude on Friday, and if you've been listening throughout the month, now's the time to contact Pathway to Victory to request a copy of my book by the same title. If you're serious about following God's will, this book is the perfect place to start. The Bible teaching in my book will help direct the next steps for your family, the next decision for your business, or God's choice for your marriage. In my book, I explain the three most important elements to discovering God's will, and a copy is yours when you give a generous gift to support this ministry.

The title again is How to Make Wise Decisions, and right now we're actively asking God to provide 50 new Pathway partners to our family of monthly supporters. Maybe God's been nudging you to join hands with us as a Pathway partner; you agree to give a monthly automated gift in the amount that suits you best.

In the end, your role as a Pathway partner accomplishes the great commission of Jesus Christ. Your gift makes you a missionary of sorts, sending the good news of the Gospel into your city. Here's David to explain how you can become one of our 50 new Pathway partners.

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If you're ready to answer that call and become one of our 50 new Pathway Partners, call 866-992-92965. Or even easier, sign up online at ptv.org. When you give your first Pathway Partner gift or when you give a generous one-time gift, you're invited to request your copy of the book *How to Make Wise Decisions* in an age when people are facing more choices in life than ever before. This book really provides clear, encouraging guidance for knowing, understanding, and acting upon God's will.

When your gift is $75 or more, you'll also receive the complete audio series for *How to Make Wise Decisions* on CD and DVD. This would be a great resource to use in your small group Bible study or even your own personal time in God's word. Again, call 866-999-2965 or go online to ptv.org. You could send your request by mail if you'd like. Write to P.O. Box 223609, Dallas, Texas 75222. Again, that's P.O. Box 223609, Dallas, TX 75222.

I'm David J. Mullins. Every day we face hundreds of choices. But what if we make the wrong decision and miss out on God's plan? We'll discover why the sovereignty of God should instill confidence in your choices. That's Thursday on Pathway to Victory with Dr. Robert Jeffress.

Pathway to Victory with Dr. Robert Jeffress comes from the pulpit of the First Baptist Church of Dallas, Texas. Experience the breathtaking majesty of America's last frontier on the 2026 Pathway to Victory cruise to Alaska.

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Board Holland America's luxurious Koningsdam ship with Amy and me for a journey that will refresh your soul and renew your spirit.

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Experience the unforgettable adventure June 13th through 20th, 2026. To book your cabin, call 888-280-6747 or go to ptv.org.

You made it to the end of today's podcast from Pathway to Victory, and we're so glad you're here. Pathway to Victory relies on the generosity of loyal listeners like you to make this podcast possible. One of the most impactful ways you can give is by becoming a Pathway Partner. Your monthly gift will empower Pathway to Victory to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ and help others become rooted more firmly in his word.

To become a Pathway Partner, go to ptv.org/donate or follow the link in our show notes. We hope you've been blessed by today's podcast from Pathway to Victory.