Chiamaka NwekeBible Verse: Psalm 27:14
Focus: Learning to trust God even when His answers seem delayed.
There are moments in the life of faith when the heavens seem like brass. We pray, we plead, we search the Scriptures, we cry out with desperate hearts—and yet, the silence is deafening. The assurance we once felt, the sense of God’s nearness we once treasured, seems to evaporate into thin air. It is in these seasons of divine silence that our faith is tested most severely. We begin to question: Has God abandoned me? Am I being punished? Is He even listening?
This experience is not unique to us. It is woven into the fabric of biblical history and the testimony of countless believers who have walked the path of faith before us. The psalmist David, a man after God’s own heart, knew this wilderness well. In the closing verse of Psalm 27, he issues a powerful exhortation to his own soul and to every weary traveler: “Wait on the Lord: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the Lord” (Psalm 27:14) .
This is not a passive resignation to fate; it is an active, courageous posture of the soul that refuses to give up hope. It is the recognition that God is at work even when we cannot see Him, and that His hidden work is often preparing something far greater than we could imagine. This article explores the nature of God’s silence, the biblical pattern of waiting, and the practical steps we can take to trust His hidden hand when He seems far away.
Understanding the Nature of Divine Silence
The Biblical Reality of Silence
The Bible does not shy away from the painful reality of God’s silence. It is a theme that runs throughout the Psalms and the prophetic books. Psalm 44 is a communal lament that expresses deep distress and confusion when God seems silent despite past deliverances. The psalmist asks, “Why do you hide your face? Why do you forget our affliction and oppression?” (Psalm 44:24) . This raw, unfiltered honesty is a hallmark of genuine faith. It is not a faith that pretends everything is fine, but one that brings its deepest struggles into the light of God’s presence.
Even Job, described as “blameless and upright,” experienced this devastating silence. In the midst of his unimaginable suffering, he cried out, “I cry out to You, but You do not answer; I stand up, and You merely look at me” (Job 30:20) . Job’s friends offered platitudes and explanations, but they were wrong. God’s silence was not a punishment for sin, but a trial of faith that would ultimately reveal His glory in a deeper way.
David’s experience in Psalm 27 is particularly instructive. The psalm begins with magnificent declarations of faith: “The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear?” (Psalm 27:1). Yet, by the middle of the psalm, we see a shift. He pleads, “Do not hide your face from me, do not turn your servant away in anger” (Psalm 27:9) . The psalm moves from the heights of faith to the depths of desperate need and back again. It is this very pattern—this honest oscillation between faith and fear—that makes the conclusion so powerful. He is not telling himself to feel what he does not feel; he is commanding his soul to trust what he knows to be true: “Wait on the Lord: be of good courage” .
Reasons for God’s Silence
Why does God allow these periods of silence? While we may never fully understand His ways, Scripture offers several insights into His purposes.
1. Testing and Growth: James 1:3-4 tells us that the testing of our faith produces perseverance. When God is silent, our faith is forced to stand on its own two feet. The voice of God may be withheld to develop a deeper, more mature trust—a faith that does not depend on feelings or constant assurance . The “wilderness” is often where our character is forged. As one commentator notes, “Suffering is not fun. However, anyone who’s gone through a deep trial and come out the other side says the same thing: they are different people because of it. It is rare that, through happy situations, God forms our character. Instead, God uses great trials, silence, and suffering to form our character into Christ’s likeness” .
2. Divine Timing: Ecclesiastes 3:1 reminds us that “to everything there is a season, and a time for every purpose under heaven.” God’s plans unfold according to His perfect timetable, which may require patience and trust . The intertestamental period, often called the “400 years of silence,” was a time when prophetic voices ceased between the Old and New Testaments. Yet, this silence was not abandonment; it was the pregnant pause before the arrival of John the Baptist and the ultimate revelation of God in Christ . God’s silence is often the prelude to His greatest works.
3. Invitation to Deeper Relationship: Silence can be an invitation to seek a deeper relationship with God. In the absence of clear direction, believers are encouraged to draw nearer to God through prayer, meditation, and Scripture study. Jeremiah 29:13 promises, “You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart” . God sometimes withdraws the sense of His presence to draw us into a deeper, more intimate pursuit of Him.
4. Confronting Sin: Sometimes, the “silence” is not God’s silence but our own spiritual deafness. Isaiah 59:1-2 declares, “Behold, the LORD’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save, or his ear dull, that it cannot hear; but 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.” Unconfessed sin can block our connection to God and make it seem as though He is silent . The hopeful truth is that when we confess our sin, God forgives us and restores our connection with Him .
The Meaning of Waiting: An Active Posture of Faith
The Hebrew word for “wait” in Psalm 27:14 is qavah, which carries a rich and active meaning. It is not passive resignation but eager, hopeful expectation. It includes the idea of “looking eagerly for,” “hoping steadfastly,” or even “binding together by twisting” . When we wait on the Lord, we are actively intertwining our lives with His purposes, trusting that He is working even when we cannot see it.
Waiting as Courageous Action
David’s exhortation to “be of good courage” (Psalm 27:14) underscores the active nature of waiting. The Hebrew word for “wait” is an imperative—a command, not a suggestion . Waiting is something we actively “do” with persistence . The word chazaq, translated “be strong” or “be of good courage,” is a military term that calls for the same kind of resolve a soldier needs when facing an enemy . Waiting on the Lord requires as much courage as fighting a battle . It means refusing to give in to despair, refusing to run ahead of God, and refusing to take matters into our own hands.
One commentary beautifully captures this dual nature of waiting: “Marching and quick-marching are much easier to God’s warriors than standing still. There are hours of perplexity when the most willing spirit, anxiously desirous to serve the Lord, knows not what part to take. Then what shall it do? Vex itself by despair? Fly back in cowardice, turn to the right hand in fear, or rush forward in presumption? No, but simply wait” . This is the courageous, active waiting that God honors.
Waiting as Trust in God’s Hidden Work
Joseph’s life is one of the most powerful examples of trusting in God’s hidden work. Sold into slavery by his own brothers, falsely accused and imprisoned, Joseph endured years of suffering and apparent silence from God. Yet, in the end, he was able to say to his brothers, “As for you, what you intended against me for evil, God intended for good, in order to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives” (Genesis 50:20) . Joseph’s story reveals that God is always at work beneath the surface of our circumstances, weaving a tapestry of redemption that we cannot yet see.
The book of Esther is another profound example. God’s name is never mentioned in the entire book . It is a story of divine hiddenness. Yet, behind the scenes, God is orchestrating events to save His people from destruction. This hidden work is a reminder that God does not need to be visible to be active. His providence is often most powerful when it is most concealed . As one source puts it, “God works in mysterious ways with His hand hidden, almost always behind the scenes” . The belief that “God mysteriously and sovereignly works out all events and details in this world to accomplish His ultimate purpose for His glory and for our own good” is the bedrock of trusting in His hidden work .
Practical Steps for Trusting God in Silence
1. Don’t Give Up
In everything, God has a plan. Even in the moments when it feels as if He is not speaking to us at all, God is still present with us . Satan uses times of silence to tempt us to doubt God’s goodness, just as he tempted Jesus in the wilderness. But Jesus chose to trust His Father even during great temptation and suffering . The enemy’s goal is to make us believe God has abandoned us, but the truth is that God is using the wilderness to form our character . As one writer encourages, “When life gets bleak, cling to God. Read the word every day and meditate on its promises. Pray and ask God for a sign, or for him to answer you in his time. Just the act of obedience of praying and listening for God’s voice will bring you closer to him than ever before” .
2. Don’t Numb Your Pain
When we feel life is not going our way, we are tempted to use coping mechanisms to get through each day—whether that is alcohol, pornography, comfort food, or even more “acceptable” vices like binge-watching television or online shopping . Anything that stands in the way of knowing God better is removed when we go through difficult times. God desires intimacy and connection with His children. There is no better time to connect with God than when life feels as if it is falling apart around you .
3. Don’t Isolate
Satan loves it when we isolate ourselves and fail to receive help from our Christian community . We can deceive ourselves into believing that no one cares about us or that we do not need connection. That is a lie straight from the enemy. There are no Scriptures that talk about being alone in the Christian life. Even God chose to exist in three persons—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit . Let brothers and sisters in Christ minister to you through meals, encouragement, and prayer. Let them remind you that you are never alone .
4. Talk to Someone
It is important to talk with someone. Feeling isolated and alone during a wilderness season is a breeding ground for depression and anxiety. Since mental health issues are on the rise, it is more important now than ever to speak to a counselor or someone who can help you through this time. Enlist the help of a Christian counselor who understands that the body, mind, and spirit are all connected . These trained professionals can help you sort through your feelings about God’s silence and develop healthy ways to cope .
5. Seek the Lord with Persistence
The Hebrew word for “seek” means to seek with a purpose, with the expressed intention of finding. This is not aimless wandering . When we seek Him like this, the very act of seeking compounds: it leads to more seeking. Active listening produces listening and more listening. And ultimately, seeking Him leads to finding Him. Active listening produces hearing . To seek Him with desperation means obstacles must be overcome. Sometimes we cannot hear His voice because something is blocking the connection: sin. When we confess our sin and turn to the Lord, He forgives us, and our connection to God is restored .
6. Remember and Recount God’s Faithfulness
In Psalm 44, the psalmist begins by recalling God’s past deliverances: “We have heard with our ears, O God; our fathers have told us, what deeds you performed in their days, in the days of old” (Psalm 44:1). This act of remembrance is crucial for trusting God in silence. When we feel forgotten, we must deliberately recall how God has been faithful in the past. As one commentary on Psalm 27:14 notes, “He who thus keeps his heart in touch with God will be able to obey the ancient command, which had rung so long before in the ears of Joshua and is never out of date, ‘Be strong and of a good courage'” .
The Promise: Strength Renewed
The closing of Psalm 27:14 holds a powerful promise: “and he shall strengthen thine heart” . This is not just a vague hope; it is a divine assurance. The strength to endure the silence does not come from within ourselves but from God. While we are commanded to “be strong” (an active command), the strength itself is a gift that comes from waiting on Him . The passive voice in the original Hebrew—”let thy heart be strong” or “may your heart be strengthened”—indicates that this strength is something we receive, not something we manufacture .
There is a “difficult balance of active and passive” in waiting . We are called to actively wait—to be courageous, to persist, to seek. At the same time, the strength to do so comes from the Lord . It is in this balance that we find the grace to endure.
The promise extends beyond mere survival. Isaiah 40:31, another famous “waiting” verse, declares, “But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.” The Hebrew word for “renew” here means to exchange or change. Those who wait on the Lord exchange their weakness for His strength . They are given the power to soar above their circumstances, to run the race of faith without burning out, and to keep walking even when the journey is long and hard. This is the ultimate promise for those who trust God’s hidden work.
The Courage to Wait
When God seems silent, it is tempting to believe He has abandoned us. But the biblical testimony is clear: He is at work, even in the silence. The Psalmist’s command to “wait on the Lord” is not a call to passive resignation but to active, courageous trust—a trust that refuses to give up hope, that continues to seek His face, and that clings to His promises even when His voice cannot be heard .
This waiting is not wasted time. It is the crucible in which our faith is purified and our character is forged. It is the season in which we learn to depend not on feelings or circumstances but on the unchanging nature of a faithful God. As one writer observed, “there is no misery so strong and grievous, no devotion so fervent and powerful, as can bring God to article for the time of deliverance; if we will not wait, he will not come” . Our waiting, far from being a sign of defeat, is the very posture of faith that positions us to receive His greatest blessings.
So, in the midst of your silence, take heart. God sees you. He is at work. And in His perfect time, He will speak. Until then, “Wait on the Lord: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the Lord” (Psalm 27:14).
Chiamaka Nweke