Job 30:20 I cry unto thee, and thou dost hear me: I stand up, and thou regardest me not.
As a part of the ongoing theme of the book Job pleads his innocence, that he does not deserve such punishment, that he wants to plead his case face to face, and he expresses his desire to see God and hear from Him. Here, Job complains that God is not answering his prayer. “I know God is real and that He is good, so why doesn’t He talk to me?”
Sometimes God remains silent, even though we pray urgently. How should we respond? We continue to pray, believing that God does indeed hear our prayers. David says, “Answer my prayers, O Lord, for your unfailing love is wonderful. Take care of me,, for your mercy is so plentiful [Psalm 69:16].” And Isaiah 65:24: “I will answer them before they even call to me. While they are still talking about their needs, I will go ahead and answer their prayers.” We continue to pray, believing God hears us, knowing He cares, and watching for His answers.
Jesus gave us access to His ear, and we know He hears us when we pray according to His will, which means through faith in Christ led by the Holy Spirit.
As it turns out in the end, God did hear Job’s cries and gave him an answer, though not the answer he expected. Trust the Lord, even if you don’t understand.