When we urgently need an answer, silence is the last thing we want to hear. Silence can be unsettling, even painful. We see the answer as so obvious; God just has to make the move. It’s the end of the month, and the mortgage is due. Or a family member or friend is very ill, and God needs to give the doctors the wisdom and ability to intercede. Maybe you’ve been there—praying late at night, asking for clarity or healing, and all you get is stillness. You check your heart. Have you done something wrong? Are you asking the wrong way? You replay every decision, trying to find the reason for His quietness. That’s when discouragement sets in. The Evil One begins to whisper, “God doesn’t care or isn’t paying attention.”
But silence doesn’t mean God is busy with other matters or is indifferent. Scripture bears witness to the fact that God does some of His best work during the quiet times. During these quiet times, He is inviting us to trust Him. Sometimes God is silent because He wants us to slow down, stop talking, and pay attention—God’s silence tests whether we trust Him or just His blessings. When we don’t “feel” Him, we learn to lean on His Word rather than emotions. Silence doesn’t mean God is absent. It often means He’s arranging circumstances, preparing people, or building something in you that you can’t yet see. Because we cannot always see the “big picture”, we don’t understand all the moving parts that need to be in place before answering our prayer. God is not neglecting us; He’s helping us to mature.
Scripture
“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord.”
— Isaiah 55:8 (ESV)
Isaiah’s words remind us that God’s ways are higher than ours—not just a little different, but completely beyond human reasoning. This verse leaves little for interpretation. God tells us He doesn’t think the way we think, He doesn’t take action the way we would. His solutions are nothing like our remedies. Yet, we expect God to act as we would.
As if Isaiah 55:8 is not clear enough, God tells us in the next verse, “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” This illustrates the vast difference between divine and human understanding.
Application
Silence is not inactivity. Runners waiting to start the race are not sitting on the bench. They’re poised at the starting line, muscles tense, eyes locked on the track ahead, distractions set aside, ears tuned to the sound of the starting gun. God is not waiting to hear our opinion but asking for our obedience.
A silent heart is a heart postured toward surrender. It’s an inward letting go of control. A quiet heart stops begging, bargaining, and scheming to alter the potential outcome. A silent heart relies on the One who truly knows best.
Prayer becomes a monologue. We’ll do all the talking while God listens. Silence is choosing to open God’s word, to open our hearts, and to set our agenda aside and hear His whispers.
Waiting for God’s answer does not mean you stop feeling anxious, but it means choosing peace even when there are no answers yet. It’s a peace that “surpasses all understanding (Phil 4:7).”
Silence while waiting is saying, “God, I don’t need to understand everything right now. I just need to trust You.” Its hands open instead of fists clenched.
Today’s Challenge: silence is golden
Incorporate silence into your busy day. Believe God is at work even when you can’t see any progress. Ask Him to help you resist this culture of “needing everything now.” Let’s remember things take time: building trust in a relationship takes time, raising a family takes time, healing our bodies takes time, character building takes time, and honing skills takes time. God’s promises unfold slowly—but are always perfectly timed.
Then pray this:
“Father, thank You that even when You’re silent, You’re not absent. Teach me to trust You more than I trust my feelings or my understanding. Help me to rest in the knowledge that Your heart is good and Your ways are perfect, even when they confuse me. Show me how to lean into Your presence in the quiet, knowing You’re always at work in ways I can’t see. Amen.”
Final Thought
When God is silent, He is still speaking—just not always in the ways we expect. He speaks through Scripture, through creation, through His Spirit’s whisper, and through the stillness that forces us to stop striving. Don’t resent His silence. It’s an invitation to step into a deeper intimacy with Him. In time, you’ll look back and realize those quiet seasons were where your faith grew the deepest.
This week’s step: Find a quiet place this week. Turn off your devices, and leave your agenda behind. Just ask God to speak, and you listen. Let His still, small voice fill your mind and heart. God does some of His best work when you can’t hear or see Him moving.
Snag this print-friendly version for your next men’s breakfast or Bible study.
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