Hearing His Whisper: Listening to God in the Silence

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I sat on the edge of the bed listening as my father-in-law moved around in the next room preparing to leave for the hospital. In a few hours he would have surgery to remove a cancerous tumor on his leg. I sat there praying, listening for God’s voice, pleading to feel God’s presence, His peace, for assurance that all would be well. But God seemed silent in those predawn hours. I would have to trust Him as I waited in the silence.

Have you ever felt that way? Are you in the middle of a hard season right now? Are you listening for God’s voice, but it feels like you’re having a one-way conversation? Does He seem silent or distant? Like He’s left the room while you’re still talking? And you want to scream, “God, speak! I’m listening.”

Listening to God in the silence is hard. But even when it feels like He’s silent, He is not absent. Lean into these four truths:

Be Honest with God

God welcomes all our prayers, the sad ones, the confused ones, and even the angry ones. King David was described as “a man after his [God’s] own heart” (1 Samuel 13:14, NIV). Yet he cried out, “I am like the deaf, who cannot hear, . . . Lord, I wait for you; you will answer, Lord my God” (Psalm 38:13-15, NIV). If David can ask why he’s not hearing God, we can too. It’s okay to tell God exactly how you’re feeling.

Slow Down and Rest

It’s easy to think that when we don’t hear God’s voice that means we need to fix the problem ourselves. So we lie awake at night, worrying and fretting. Science has proven that those late night worry seasons don’t help. Instead, a lack of sleep prevents us from thinking clearly the next day. Click here to see how a lack of sleep can affect one’s brain and body.

King David knew to rest. Psalm 3:5 (NIV) says, “I call out to the Lord, and he answers me from his holy mountain. I lie down and sleep; I wake again, because the Lord sustains me”

An open Bible on a white marble desk shows that listening to God means spending time in His Word.

Embrace Silence and Discover Peace

Noise and busyness fill the world. I wonder if at times God seems silent because we can’t hear Him over all the noise of life. Even Jesus, God’s own Son, had to go to quiet places to hear from God. “Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed” (Mark 1:35, NIV).

As hard as it may be to get away from the constant bombardment of our noisy world, the silence gives us space to see God at work. Rarely does He send a blinding light like Saul experienced in Acts 9 or a talking donkey as in Numbers 22. God often speaks to us through a gentle whisper. Isaiah 30:15 (NIV) says “…in quietness and trust is your strength.” And in Lamentations 3:26 (NIV) we find, “The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him; it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord.”

Lean into the Truths You Know

Listen to CeeCee Winens sing the “Goodness of God.” Remember the truth. God is faithful and good.

Perhaps, when listening for God’s voice in silent times, we should whisper the truths we already know:

Thank you, God for the promise that you are with me (Psalm 118:7) .

God, you will never leave me. I’m not alone. What a relief! (Hebrews 13:5.)

Lord, you are compassionate, loving, and faithful. I can trust you (Exodus 34:6).

God, you lead me beside quiet waters, you refresh my soul” (Psalm 23:2-3). I’ll take each next step trusting you are guiding me.

Listen now to a short segment of an Abide meditation based on Acts 17:27. Listening to God most often takes intentionality. Let Him speak to your heart through these words.

As you listen for God’s voice, remember “he is not far from any one of us. ‘For in him we live and move and have our being’” (Acts 17:27-28, NIV, emphasis added). We can rest assured that even when it seems that God is silent, He is with us. Keep listening for God’s voice, His gentle whisper.

For more help listening to God, check out the Abide app. Our 1500+ biblical meditations all exist to bring you peace and draw you closer to God. Download the app and start a premium subscription. This will gain you access to our entire library of content. Use this link for 25% off.

Beth Gormong is an author, writer, and editor who loves the magic of turning beautiful yarn into wearable objects. She can be found at bgormong.com.