When Heaven Feels Silent: 4 Unshakable Truths for the Days God Seems Hidden

When the Light Feels Gone

I never imagined, as a full-time evangelist and unapologetic follower of Jesus Christ, that I would come to the brink of walking away from ministry, faith—even God Himself. Yet seventeen months ago, my world collapsed. My nineteen-year-old daughter Kayley Faith, healthy and vibrant, was suddenly diagnosed with Stills disease—a rare inflammatory disorder attacking her heart, liver, and lungs. Weeks in the ICU blurred into months of pain, prayer, and despair. Thousands prayed; still she worsened. I begged God to speak, to comfort, to show up. Instead, silence. For the first time since my salvation at twenty-one, God felt unreachable.

If you’ve ever felt abandoned by God, know this: you’re not alone. In the ashes of our suffering, I discovered four truths that reframed my understanding of His hiddenness. These truths do not erase the pain, but they anchor us when the waves threaten to pull us under.

1. God May Appear Silent, but He Is Always Speaking

Elijah discovered it on Mount Horeb: God was not in the earthquake or the fire but in the whisper (1 Kings 19:12). Whispers demand closeness. Pain and anger, like mine, can wedge a distance where His voice grows faint—but faint doesn’t mean absent. Romans 1:20 reminds us that His invisible qualities echo through creation even when our hearts feel numb. In seasons of brokenness, resist the urge to retreat entirely. Even if your desire is gone, keep opening your Bible, keep whispering prayers. Often, our persistence outlasts our emotions and draws us near enough to hear again.

2. God Never Abandons Us but Often Sends Others in His Place

Hebrews 13:5 declares, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” But His presence doesn’t always look like a burning bush; sometimes it looks like a casserole, a text message, or a tearful friend sitting in your hospital room. During our ordeal, Jesus’ hands reached us through the hands of His people—those who visited, cried, paid bills, and let us vent our pain without judgment. This is the comfort of 2 Corinthians 1:3-4 in action. If you’re hurting, notice the helpers God is dispatching. If you’re watching someone suffer, don’t just quote Scripture—embody it. Get into the ditch with them.

3. God Sometimes Tells Us Neither to Retreat Nor Push Forward, but Simply to Stand

Ephesians 6:11 calls us to “put on the full armor of God” so that in the evil day we may “stand.” Some battles are not for fighting or fleeing but for standing—holding ground when everything inside you screams to fix it. In our months at the hospital, there were no moves left to make. Only in that helplessness did I learn God was not waiting for my performance; He was inviting me to lean. When all else is stripped away, He becomes not just all you have but all you want.

4. In Brokenness, God Desires Our Faith—Especially When It’s Hardest to Give

Hebrews 11:6 reminds us that without faith it is impossible to please God. I’m ashamed of how my faith wavered—weeks of trust followed by weeks of doubt. Yet even when I doubted Christ, He never doubted me. True faith may weaken but it is never destroyed. Like the father in Mark 9:24, we can pray, “I believe; help my unbelief!” God patiently rekindles the embers of our trust as we bring Him even our inconsistent hearts.

Conclusion: The Promise That Holds

Are you doubting God? Questioning His care, compassion, or commitment? Has sickness, loss, or failure unraveled your life? There are no platitudes that will make the pain disappear. Your situation may worsen before it improves. Answers may never come this side of eternity. But one promise remains unshaken: He will never leave you or forsake you (Hebrews 13:5). Even when feelings and circumstances scream otherwise, His covenant stands.

For now, this promise is enough for me. And I pray, weary friend, that it will be enough for you, too. Hold fast. When God seems hidden, He is still here.