When God Seems Silent, Pray!

Have you ever reached a point when you felt God was silent—like you were completely alone and on the verge of giving up on Him? I know many of us have experienced this feeling.

I’ve gone through this not just once, but many times. One of the most vivid moments came after I married my wife in 2011. In African society, there’s often pressure when you get married, as people expect to see a certain “sign” from your wife—a pregnancy, to be precise.

So we began trying for a baby for ourselves and to meet society’s expectations. We tried repeatedly, but nothing happened. Then fear crept in. We started praying and fasting, yet the more we sought God, the more it felt like nothing was changing.

James 4:3 came to life for us during this time: “You ask and do not receive because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your pleasures.” We were trying for a baby for over a year with no results.

One day, we sat down and asked ourselves some tough questions. One of the most important was, whom are we trying to please—God or society? Once we honestly answered that question, a deep peace came over us. We realized that whether God blessed us with a child or not, He would still be God. And not long after we surrendered that pressure, my wife conceived.

Job found himself in a similar place when it seemed God had gone silent. Imagine a man who prayed and fasted for his family, whom God had blessed with wealth, health, and children. Then suddenly, his children died, his wealth disappeared, and he became gravely ill. Job prayed and fasted, but nothing seemed to happen. Even his wife urged him to curse God. But despite the silence and immense suffering, Job held on to this truth: “For I know that my Redeemer lives, and He shall stand at last on the earth” (Job 19:25). Job understood that the same God who had once blessed him was still alive and in control, even when life seemed unbearable.

In Matthew 7:7-8, Jesus reminds us to ask, seek, and knock, with the promise that the door will be opened to us. However, He doesn’t promise instant answers. There are times when our prayers take longer to be answered, but that doesn’t mean they won’t be. Remember the acronym P.U.S.H.—Pray Until Something Happens. Even in God’s silence, we are called to continue pushing through in faith, because our breakthrough might be just around the corner.

If you feel like David, who cried out, “Why are you so downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise Him, my Savior and my God” (Psalm 42:11), know that you are not alone.

When it feels like your prayers are going unanswered, and your breakthrough is nowhere in sight, keep trusting, keep praying. However much it hurts, remember that He is still God.

Have you experienced silence in your life? Kindly share in the comments. Hallelujah!