Be Still: 30 Devotions for the Hopeful HeartSample

When God is Silent in Our Stillness

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied. MATTHEW 5:6 ESV

We’ve all had the experience where we have consulted with God on a situation or a relationship in our life and felt like we could not hear Him speaking about it. Our frustration grew as we wanted to remind Him that He was the One who asked us to draw near—but He was quiet...why? What were we supposed to do? The prayers of our hearts felt pressing and urgent, and it seemed as if the Lord had taken a vacation.

We must always know that the Lord is not quiet seemingly because He does not know the answers. The depth of our depravity or the uncertainty of our circumstances has not forced Him to retreat. Sometimes the Lord does not answer via burning bush because His Word has already answered the question for us. Have we searched the Bible to inform our hearts of the truth regarding our situation? Or have we only let our emotions dictate what is coming out of our mouths?

Other times, the Lord is silent because He is silent. He is God. Despite our human desire to receive an explanation for unfilled airwaves, He does not answer to us. His silence does not license us to run and seek a louder voice; His silence is our invitation to draw deeper into stillness. When we grasp the truth that God is God and sometimes our life will feel full of the unknown, we can begin to walk in the peace that stretches beyond our understanding. Where we mess up is when we equate His silence with His absence. He is always working.

When we feel like God is silent, we must continue to seek. As we seek and discover the truth, this truth invites true transformation. His silence is not His dismissal of our voice; it is His desire for us to keep coming, keep pursuing, and keep searching for His wisdom amid our uncertainty. We become His image-bearers as we pursue His voice in the quiet.

The resting of our hope cannot be found in our solutions. Our heart is anchored in the King of kings who never leaves the authority and power of His throne.

Dear Jesus, thank You for always answering in the most perfect way, even when that feels like an absence to us. Remind us to continue pursuing You and disciplining ourselves in stillness. Your silence is an invitation, not a dismissal. You are God alone, and we trust Your ways. In Jesus’s name, amen.