When God Goes Silent: Finding Faith in the Desert Seasons
We've all been there – those moments when our prayers seem to bounce off the ceiling, when God feels distant, and when we wonder if He's still listening. On our recent podcast episode, Seth and I tackled this universal experience that challenges even the most faithful believers: spiritual drought.
Perhaps the most profound insight we uncovered is that what we perceive as God's silence isn't truly silence at all. Rather than God turning away from us, it's often our receptors that have become dulled or distracted. As we discussed, God speaks through countless channels – through Scripture, music, other people, and circumstances – and is constantly communicating. James tells us there is "no shadow of turning" in God; He remains consistent even when our perception changes. This distinction is crucial because it shifts our focus from questioning God's presence to examining our own spiritual attentiveness.
During these desert seasons, who we allow to speak into our lives becomes paramount. The people surrounding us will either help us lean into God or away from Him. They'll either remind us of God's promises or echo our doubts. This is why community – specifically, community with those who share your core values – is essential during spiritual droughts. When God's voice seems absent, the voice in your own head grows louder, and you need godly people who will challenge you, pray for you, and redirect you back to truth.
What's particularly dangerous about these silent seasons is how easily we can misinterpret them. We often view them as punishment or abandonment when, in fact, they're growth opportunities. Think of Joseph in prison for years despite his clear calling, or David writing psalms that wrestle with God's seeming absence before resolving in trust. These biblical examples remind us that spiritual drought often precedes spiritual breakthrough. As one visitor to my home wisely pointed out, God was silent for 400 years between the Old and New Testaments – yet He was working the entire time, preparing for the greatest revelation in history.
Perhaps the most practical takeaway from our discussion was the importance of simply showing up. Even when you don't feel God's presence, keep your Bible open. Keep praying. Keep walking the path you know is right. As we shared, "Consistency breeds breakthroughs." This faithful persistence honors God even when emotions are running dry. Galatians 6:9 reminds us not to grow weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we don't give up.
We concluded with ten practical moves for navigating silent seasons: shift your perspective, immerse yourself in Scripture, pray honest prayers, seek wise counsel, reflect on God's past faithfulness, stay obedient to your calling, serve others, limit negativity, journal your journey, and cling to God's promises. These practices won't necessarily shorten the drought, but they will ensure you walk through it with purpose rather than despair.
My own family faced an intense spiritual test when my daughter needed an organ transplant, with just 60 days to survive without it. During that crisis, my wife Robin constantly asked God what she needed to learn from this season. It wasn't until after the successful transplant, when she reviewed her daily journals, that she could clearly see God's hand working throughout the entire ordeal. What seemed like silence was actually preparation for a powerful testimony.
Remember: your drought may be God's way of deepening your dependence on Him. Faith tested in silence is faith being refined, just like gold needs extreme heat to remove impurities. You are not alone, and you are not forgotten. God may be developing something in you that simply cannot be rushed.