Faithful in the Silence

When we say, “Where are you, God?” it can feel like heaven has gone quiet. The Scriptures themselves carry a long, quiet stretch - one page between Malachi and Matthew that actually represents four centuries. It reads like a turn of the page to us, but it was a lifetime after lifetime of waiting to them. Still, God was not absent; He was at work. He hadn’t stopped being a speaking God - He was preparing, aligning, and readying His people for a new word that would break the quiet.

Zechariah & Elizabeth: Worship before the breakthrough

After centuries of silence, the first fresh word lands not with a celebrity or a headline, but with an older couple who have prayed for decades. Zechariah is on temple duty, chosen by lot, standing at the altar of incense while a crowd prays outside. Elizabeth has lived with long disappointment and public shame, yet they are described as righteous and careful to obey. They aren’t holding God to ransom - “Speak first and then we’ll worship” - they’re worshipping before the miracle. That posture matters. God breaks the long silence to a man in the sanctuary, in the rhythms of serving, surrounded by a praying community. It’s a picture for us: when we feel stuck, keep showing up at the altar; keep serving shoulder-to-shoulder; keep letting the prayers of the church carry you.

Live by faith, not by feels

Feelings rise and fall. Faith doesn’t. Silence tempts us to rewrite theology around our emotions - “if I don’t feel it, it must not be true.” But we’re called to anchor what we believe in, who God is, not in fluctuating circumstances. The pull to be“discipled by emotions” is strong: if it feels right, it must be right; if it feels wrong, it must be wrong. That’s a rollercoaster. Night-time worries can magnify small things; daytime clarity shows how quickly they shrink. In quiet seasons, we resist projecting our pain onto God’s character and instead hold the tension the Bible holds: God heals, and I’m still waiting. We do not change truth to suit experience; we bring our experience under truth. Faith keeps saying, “God is faithful,” even when the feelings are thin.

Reorient with the Word

Silence disorients. That’s why we need a fixed reference. God’s Word functions like a star-tracker - continually comparing where we are to what is true, then firing the little thrusters of obedience to nudge us back on course. Scripture is a lamp for the next step when we can’t see the whole road, and an anchor that holds when the weather turns rough. Practically, that means opening the Bible before opening the group chat; letting the text set our path rather than our preferences; allowing correction when the lamp lights a turn we weren’t planning to take. When inspiration is absent, the Word still orients. When emotions are loud, the Word still steadies. Keep checking your heading against the map, and keep making the small corrections that keep you aligned.

Find believing people

When it’s quiet, a whisper says, “Keep this to yourself.” Don’t. The church shines here. Zechariah is found on duty within his priestly division; a crowd is praying just outside. This is what we do for one another: share burdens, intercede, and let people “borrow the heat” of our faith when theirs is low. Go where the fire is hot—stand in the section that’s worshipping, pray with the friend who actually prays, invite yourself into the circle where hope is spoken. Not a pity-party in the valley, but shoulders under the weight, eyes lifted to the hills. And be that person for someone else - don’t send a praying-hands emoji and move on; carry the load, speak faith, and stay until strength returns.

Wait while it’s buffering

Silence isn’t absence; often it’s alignment. Those 400 “silent” years were full of God’s setup work—language, roads, politics, and a rising spiritual hunger - so that when the page turned, the word would run. In our own waiting, we learn to recognise the “buffering” icon: God is preparing things we can’t yet see. Zechariah asked for a son; at the right time, God gave him John, a forerunner who would prepare people for the Lord. That’s how God works - not hurried, not late, but right on time, often with more than we asked for. So while it buffers, keep your post: keep serving, keep praying, keep worshipping. The page will turn.