Go! And… Trust Him When God Is Silent - Psalm 13:1–6
Introduction — When Heaven Feels Quiet
Silence can be deafening.
Have you ever prayed… and it felt like your words bounced off the ceiling? You’ve pleaded, wept, even shouted, yet the heavens seemed shut.
King David knew that feeling. He was anointed king, yet hunted like a criminal. God had promised him the throne, yet he was hiding in caves. And in Psalm 13, David writes:
Psalm 13:1–6 (NLT)
1 O LORD, how long will you forget me? Forever? How long will you look the other way?
2 How long must I struggle with anguish in my soul, with sorrow in my heart every day? How long will my enemy have the upper hand?
3 Turn and answer me, O LORD my God! Restore the sparkle to my eyes, or I will die.
4 Don’t let my enemies gloat, saying, “We have defeated him!” Don’t let them rejoice at my downfall.
5 But I trust in your unfailing love. I will rejoice because you have rescued me.
6 I will sing to the LORD because he is good to me.
Here is a man wrestling with God’s silence — yet ending in praise.
Point 1 — God’s Silence Does Not Mean God’s Absence
David begins with four piercing “How longs?” — the Hebrew here, ????????? (‘ad-’anah) — is a cry of duration, not doubt. It’s not “Are You real?” but “When will You act?”
In David’s world, silence from a deity was often interpreted as abandonment. But the God of Israel was not like the pagan gods — His silence was not absence, but often preparation.
Isaiah 41:10 (NLT): Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand.
Even when God feels silent, He promises presence.
Charles Stanley once said, “When God is silent, He is teaching us to trust Him even when we can’t trace Him.”
That is the heartbeat of biblical faith — trusting His character when His activity isn’t visible.
Today silence from God is often interpreted as either “God doesn’t care” or “God doesn’t exist.” But biblical faith says: Silence is an invitation to deeper trust, not a verdict of abandonment.
Think of a teacher in an exam — they are silent, but they are still in the room, still watching, still caring. The silence doesn’t mean the teacher has left — it means the test is in progress.
Point 2 — God’s Silence May Be God’s Sovereign Strategy
David prays, “Turn and answer me, O LORD my God!” (v.3) — the Hebrew for “turn” (?????? — panah) is to turn one’s face, signalling relational intimacy. David isn’t just asking for a change of circumstance, but for the warmth of God’s face.
Sometimes God delays His answer to bring about a greater good we cannot yet see.
John 11:5–6 (NLT): So although Jesus loved Martha, Mary, and Lazarus, he stayed where he was for the next two days.
Lazarus was dying, yet Jesus delayed — not because He didn’t care, but because He had a greater plan: the resurrection that would glorify God.
John Piper said, “God is always doing 10,000 things in your life, and you may be aware of three of them.”
When God is silent, it may be because He’s weaving a far greater story than we can comprehend.
We are addicted to instant answers — same-day delivery, instant messaging, streaming everything on demand. But God’s timetable is eternal, not instant. His delay may be His way of preparing you for a greater miracle.
Think of Joseph in prison (Genesis 40–41). Forgotten by the cupbearer, forgotten by Pharaoh… but not forgotten by God. When the time was right, God moved in one day to take him from prisoner to prime minister.
Point 3 — Silence Is an Invitation to Worship by Faith
David ends: “But I trust in your unfailing love. I will rejoice because you have rescued me. I will sing to the LORD because he is good to me.” (Psalm 13:5–6, NLT)
The Hebrew ????? (chesed) — “unfailing love” — is covenant love. David roots his faith in God’s character, not his circumstances.
Habakkuk 3:17–18 (NLT): Even though the fig trees have no blossoms… yet I will rejoice in the LORD! I will be joyful in the God of my salvation!
R.T. Kendall wrote, “The highest level of faith is praising God when you don’t feel like it, because you trust His heart.”
This is the worship that moves heaven — worship rooted in faith, not feelings.
If your worship is only loud when life is easy, then it’s not worship — it’s reaction. Faith-worship sings when the lights are out, when the answers haven’t come, when heaven feels silent.
The Gospel Connection — God’s Silence on the Cross
There was a day when God was silent — and it was the loudest declaration of His love.
On the cross, Jesus cried:
Matthew 27:46 (NLT): “My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?”
The Greek ???at???pe? (egkatelipes) means “to forsake utterly.” Jesus took the full weight of separation we deserved because of sin — so that we would never be abandoned.
He died, was buried, and on the third day, He rose again — proving that even when it looked like God was silent, He was working the greatest salvation in history.
Call to Action:
If you are a believer — trust Him when He is silent. Let His past faithfulness be the anchor for your present uncertainty. Refuse to interpret God’s silence as His absence.
If you are not yet a follower of Jesus — today, His silence is not the issue; your separation from Him is. Repent of your sin, believe in the risen Christ, and you will know His presence forever.
Invitation to Salvation:
Friend, the God who seemed silent on the cross did it to shout over eternity: “I love you!”
Turn to Him today. Admit you are a sinner. Believe that Jesus died and rose again for you. Confess Him as Lord and Saviour. And even if you face silence in this life, you will never face separation in eternity.
Benediction:
May the Lord bless you when His voice thunders… and when it whispers.
May you trust His hand when you can’t see His plan.
And may the silence of God drive you deeper into the sound of His unfailing love.
Amen.
