Finding Hope in God's Silence Amidst Chaos

Sep 14, 2025

Devotional

Day 1: Persistent Refusal to Listen to God Leads to Silence

When we continually ignore God's voice and harden our hearts against His conviction, we may eventually find ourselves in a place of spiritual silence, where God's guidance feels distant and our prayers seem to go unanswered. This silence is not a sign of God's cruelty, but a sobering consequence of repeatedly tuning Him out, treating His warnings lightly, and seeking Him only in moments of desperation. The story of Saul in 1 Samuel 28 is a powerful warning: after years of disregarding God's commands and silencing the prophets, Saul desperately sought God's direction, but the Lord did not answer him. This spiritual deafness is a dangerous place, reminding us that if we stop listening, we stop hearing. [42:41]

1 Samuel 28:4-6 (ESV)
The Philistines assembled and came and encamped at Shunem. And Saul gathered all Israel, and they encamped at Gilboa. When Saul saw the army of the Philistines, he was afraid, and his heart trembled greatly. And when Saul inquired of the Lord, the Lord did not answer him, either by dreams, or by Urim, or by prophets.

Reflection: Is there an area in your life where you have been ignoring God's conviction or rationalizing sin? What would it look like to intentionally listen for His voice again today?

Day 2: Silence Should Never Lead Us to Sin

In times of spiritual silence or desperation, it can be tempting to seek answers outside of God's will, turning to spiritual shortcuts, worldly wisdom, or even practices that are contrary to God's commands. Saul's choice to consult a medium when God was silent is a vivid example of how desperation can lead us into sin rather than repentance. Instead of letting silence drive us to sinful solutions or spiritual counterfeits, we are called to seek God more fervently, to lean into His truth, and to resist the urge to look for answers in all the wrong places. [46:48]

Deuteronomy 18:10-12 (ESV)
There shall not be found among you anyone who burns his son or his daughter as an offering, anyone who practices divination or tells fortunes or interprets omens, or a sorcerer or a charmer or a medium or a necromancer or one who inquires of the dead, for whoever does these things is an abomination to the Lord. And because of these abominations the Lord your God is driving them out before you.

Reflection: When you feel desperate for answers or comfort, where are you most tempted to look outside of God’s ways? How can you choose to seek Him more deeply instead?

Day 3: There Is Hope for Those Who Seek God

Even when God feels silent, His heart is not to abandon us but to invite us to seek Him with all our hearts. The promise of Scripture is that those who earnestly seek God will find Him, and that His silence is not a locked door but a gentle knock, calling us to repentance, faith, and deeper relationship. No matter how far we have wandered, God welcomes us back when we turn to Him, just as He did with the prodigal son, Peter, and David. Through Jesus, God will never abandon those who seek Him. [52:21]

Jeremiah 29:13 (ESV)
You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.

Reflection: What is one practical way you can seek God with your whole heart today, even if you feel distant or discouraged?

Day 4: God’s Silence Is Not the Same as God’s Absence

Seasons of silence can be some of the most disorienting and frightening times in the Christian life, but God’s silence does not mean He is absent. Like David in the Psalms, we may feel forsaken, but God remains near, orchestrating every moment for our good. The difference between Saul and David was that, in the silence, David remained faithful and continued to trust God, while Saul turned away. If you are experiencing a dark night of the soul, remember that God is present, and His promise is that He will never leave you nor forsake you. [54:00]

Hebrews 13:5b (ESV)
For he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”

Reflection: In what area of your life do you need to trust that God is near, even when you cannot sense His presence? How can you express that trust today?

Day 5: Jesus Is the Voice in the Silence and the Hope in the Darkness

The ultimate hope for every believer is found in Jesus Christ, who experienced the ultimate silence and abandonment on the cross so that we would never be cut off from God. When we feel lost, empty, or surrounded by darkness, Jesus is the Word made flesh, the voice calling us home, and the hope that never fails. No matter how many times we have ignored God or sought meaning elsewhere, it is never too late to turn to Christ, who meets us with grace, forgiveness, and open arms. [56:59]

Revelation 3:20 (ESV)
Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.

Reflection: Where in your life do you need to open the door to Jesus today, inviting Him to bring hope and light into your silence or darkness?

Sermon Summary

In a week marked by violence and tragedy, many of us are left searching for hope and answers in the midst of chaos. The events surrounding Charlie Kirk’s death and the disturbing responses from some in our society have left us angry, confused, and perhaps even fearful. Yet, in these moments, we are reminded that our hope and comfort are not found in the shifting sands of this world, but in the unchanging character of God. We are called to be people of faith, not fear, and to continue advancing the lordship of Christ with truth and love, even when it feels risky.

Turning to 1 Samuel 28, we encounter Saul at a moment of desperation. God is silent, and Saul, having spent years ignoring God’s voice, now finds himself unable to hear from Him when he needs it most. This silence is not arbitrary; it is the result of Saul’s persistent refusal to listen and his repeated hardening of his heart. When we continually ignore God’s conviction, we risk being met with a deafening quiet that is both disorienting and terrifying.

Saul’s response to God’s silence is to seek answers from forbidden sources—a medium at Endor. Instead of letting the silence drive him to repentance, Saul turns to spiritual counterfeits, breaking God’s law and seeking shortcuts. This is a warning for us: desperation and silence should never lead us to sin or to seek answers outside of God. Instead, silence can be an invitation to examine our hearts, repent, and return to God.

Yet, even in the midst of silence, there is hope for those who seek Him. The story of Saul is a sobering warning, but it is not a call to hopelessness. Through Christ, God will never abandon those who earnestly seek Him. The silence we sometimes experience is not the same as God’s absence. Even when we feel forsaken, God is near, orchestrating every moment for our good. If you find yourself distant from God, let the silence drive you to seek Him more, not less. God’s heart is always to welcome the repentant, to meet us with grace, and to restore us through Christ, who endured ultimate silence on the cross so that we never have to be cut off from God.

Key Takeaways

1. Persistent Refusal to Listen Leads to Silence When we repeatedly ignore God’s conviction and harden our hearts, we risk reaching a point where His voice grows silent in our lives. This silence is not God’s cruelty, but the natural result of tuning Him out over time. The most terrifying place for a believer is not feeling conviction at all, for it signals a heart that has grown cold and deaf to God’s leading. If you sense conviction, it is a sign of God’s mercy—respond to it before silence settles in. [42:41]
2. Silence Should Lead to Repentance, Not Sin Saul’s desperation in the face of God’s silence drove him to seek answers from forbidden and dangerous sources. When God seems silent, the temptation is to look elsewhere for comfort or direction, but this only leads us further from Him. Instead, silence should prompt us to examine our hearts, confess our sins, and return to God with humility, trusting that He is still near and ready to restore. [46:48]
3. God’s Silence Is Not His Absence Seasons of spiritual silence can feel disorienting and lonely, but they are not evidence that God has abandoned us. Even David, a man after God’s own heart, experienced times when God felt distant, yet he remained faithful. In the silence, God is often working in ways we cannot see, inviting us to deeper faith and trust in His presence and promises. [54:00]
4. There Is Always Hope for Those Who Seek God The stories of the prodigal son, Peter, and David remind us that no matter how far we have wandered, God welcomes back those who repent and seek Him. God’s silence is not a locked door, but a knock—an invitation to open our hearts to Him. Through Christ, we are assured that God will never abandon those who earnestly seek Him, no matter how dark the night of the soul may feel. [52:21]
5. Jesus Endured Ultimate Silence So We Never Have To On the cross, Jesus cried out, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” He experienced the ultimate abandonment so that we could be assured of God’s presence forever. In our moments of silence and darkness, Jesus is the voice calling us home, the hope in our despair, and the assurance that God’s grace is always available to those who turn to Him.

** [56:59]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[01:10] - Announcements and Upcoming Events
[04:30] - Responding to a Difficult Week
[08:45] - The Risk of Standing for Truth
[12:20] - Prayer for Charlie Kirk and Our Nation
[15:00] - Introduction to 1 Samuel 28
[18:30] - The Silence of God: Anechoic Chamber Illustration
[23:40] - When God Feels Distant
[28:15] - Saul’s Desperation and God’s Silence
[32:50] - The Danger of Ignoring God’s Voice
[38:00] - Saul Seeks a Medium at Endor
[43:38] - The Dangers of Spiritual Counterfeits
[46:48] - Silence Should Never Lead to Sin
[49:29] - Saul’s Encounter with Samuel’s Spirit
[54:00] - God’s Silence Is Not His Absence
[56:59] - Jesus: The Voice in Our Silence
[58:45] - Invitation to Respond and Prayer
[65:03] - Communion and Worship
[74:11] - Benediction and Sunday Social Invitation

Bible Study Guide

Bible Study Discussion Guide

Bible Reading

1 Samuel 28:1-25 (ESV)
(Main text of the sermon)

Observation Questions

What did Saul do when he realized God was not answering him through dreams, Urim, or prophets? ([42:41])
According to the passage, what was Saul’s history with mediums and necromancers before this event? ([42:41])
How did the medium at Endor react when she realized who Saul was? ([42:41])
What message did Samuel deliver to Saul when he was summoned by the medium? ([49:29])

Interpretation Questions

Why do you think God was silent when Saul tried to seek Him, and what does this reveal about Saul’s relationship with God? ([42:41])
What does Saul’s decision to seek out a medium say about his spiritual state and his understanding of God’s commands? ([45:59])
The sermon mentions that God’s silence is not the same as His absence. How does this distinction help us understand difficult seasons in our own spiritual lives? ([54:00])
The story of Saul is described as a warning, not a call to hopelessness. What is the difference, and how does the sermon explain the hope available to those who seek God? ([52:21])

Application Questions

The sermon warns that persistent refusal to listen to God can lead to spiritual silence. Are there areas in your life where you have been ignoring God’s conviction or voice? What would it look like to respond to Him now? ([42:41])
When you feel God is silent, what are some “spiritual shortcuts” or counterfeits you are tempted to turn to for comfort or answers (e.g., self-help, distractions, unhealthy habits)? How can you resist these and instead seek God? ([46:48])
The pastor shared that feeling conviction is a sign of God’s mercy, but not feeling conviction is a dangerous place. Have you ever experienced a time when you stopped feeling conviction? What helped you return to God? ([55:21])
The sermon says that God’s silence can be an invitation to examine our hearts and repent. Is there a specific area where you sense God inviting you to repentance or deeper trust right now? ([48:17])
Jesus endured ultimate silence on the cross so we never have to be cut off from God. How does this truth encourage you in seasons when God feels distant? ([56:59])
The story of the prodigal son, Peter, and David were mentioned as examples of God welcoming back those who repent. Is there a part of your story where you need to “come home” to God? What would that look like this week? ([52:21])
In a week marked by tragedy and fear, the sermon calls us to be people of faith, not fear. What is one practical way you can advance the lordship of Christ with truth and love in your daily life, even when it feels risky? ([08:45])

Sermon Clips

“We're living in a time where it can feel really risky to stand for truth. We're living in a time where it can feel really risky to try to live out your faith publicly for other people to see. We're living in a time where it can feel risky to even gather for church. The enemy would love nothing more than to use our fear and to use violence to silence the church, to silence Christians, to silence us in our churches, to silence us in our workplaces, to silence us in our homes and in the public square. But we have to remember at the end of the day, we as Christians, we are people of faith and we are not people of fear. We have no reason to fear.”

“We are not called to shrink back as Christians. We are not called to go on the defensive because of the stuff that's happened this week. We are called to continue to advance the lordship of Christ with truth and with love in every sphere of life. And so I just want to remind us of that this morning and keep our hearts and minds focused on that and that's what we as a church are committed to continue doing.”

“Because it turns out that we as Christians were not made and we as people were not made for silence. We all know this, right? Like you were not made for silence, for permanent silence, for deep silence. And as Christians I think when it comes to the questions that we have, many times we feel silence. We need direction and sometimes we're looking for direction and we experience silence. We need hope and many times when we need hope we feel silence. We need community, we need to grow in our relationship with God, and there are many times even in the Christian life where we want to grow in our relationship with God but we feel like we're being met with silence.”

“The silence of God can be one of the most terrifying experiences in the life of a Christian. And I would argue that for the non-Christian the silence of God is an absolutely hopeless place to be. Maybe you've been there and you can relate to what I'm talking about. You know what that's like. People call this a dark night of the soul where you just feel distant from God. You want to hear from God, you pray, and you feel like your prayers are just bouncing off the ceiling and you're met with silence and it scared you.”

“Maybe you've been in a position where you have heard God's voice, you've heard the conviction of the Holy Spirit, and you've silenced it over and over and over again. And when you feel God telling you you shouldn't do that, you just continue to tune it out, you continue to live in sin, and now you're like, man, God feels so far away from me. Silence is scary.”

“Persistent refusal to listen to God eventually leads him to deafening quiet—silence. It's like going into the anechoic chamber—disoriented, silent. And God doesn't do this to Saul because he's cruel. It's because he's tuned God out over and over and over again. And now he's treating God like a genie in a bottle. I need answers now. I need you to come through for me now. I've not cared for most of my life or most of my time as king what you have to say. Ever since David became a threat I stopped listening to you. And now he needs God on his side in a time of need.”

“So here's the first principle I have for you this morning, okay? If you stop listening, you stop hearing. Okay? If you stop listening to God, you stop hearing from God.”

“And I just wonder, when you have heard the voice of God, the Holy Spirit's conviction in your life, where maybe you've been tempted to ignore it, to cast it aside, tune out conviction, rationalize sin, excuse sin, and ignore the voice of God. And I'll just say, this week, it's especially easy to let the feelings that we feel—things like anger, fear, confusion—those can easily and quickly, if we're not careful, drown out the voice of God in our life.”

“This is why the book of Hebrews tells us, today if you hear his voice, harden not your hearts. Because if you're not careful and you continue to harden your heart, you might eventually be met with silence. And this is what happened to Saul. God's silence is not something that's meant to be taken lightly. But I want to remind you, it's never too late to start listening to God again.”

“God's people have no business appealing to false gods. God's people have no business appealing to demons or Satan for wisdom. And here's why. We have communion with the creator of the universe. And the creator of the universe intercedes and acts on our behalf when we pray to him. And so, we don't have business as Christians trying to manipulate spiritual powers. As a matter of fact, it's dangerous to do that. And I would ultimately call it idolatrous. It's idolatry. It's going to other gods when we do that.”

“Silence should never lead us to sin. What desperation can do in many people's lives is it can lead us to looking for answers in all of the wrong places. It can lead to silencing God and taking spiritual shortcuts. And it would be really easy to respond to evil in the world, especially right now when it feels so tangible by turning to sinful things. But the answer is to seek God more. The answer is to live out God's truth more.”

“And I just want to ask, what if God's silence is actually an invitation? What if it's an invitation to examine your heart, to repent, to confess sin, and to return to Him? In Jeremiah 29, 13, God says, you will seek me and find me when you seek me with all of your heart. God calls us to seek Him even in the silence. And this is the calling of our lives. When we want to know God's presence in our lives, we seek God. We don't give up.”

“There is hope for those who seek Him. Let's read the rest of this chapter and then we'll break it down. He said to her, What is his appearance? And she said, An old man is coming up, and he is wrapped in a robe. And Saul knew that it was Samuel, and he bowed his face to the ground and paid homage. Then Samuel said to Saul, Why have you disturbed me by bringing me up? Saul answered, I am in great distress, for the Philistines are warring against me, and God has turned away from me and answers me no more, either by prophets or by dreams. Therefore I have summoned you to tell me what I shall do.”

“Because here's the promise we have in the New Testament, all right? Through Jesus, God will never abandon those who seek him. God will never abandon those who seek him. Saul never repented. He never turned back to God. He just used God to justify his actions. He used God to bless his... He expected God to bless his sin, and he ignored God's voice over and over and over again. And even when he comes to God in his last moments, he's coming to God as like a genie in a bottle. Instead of saying, now I submit to you. Now I want to do things your way. He's like, no. Just how do I win this war? How do I win this battle? That's all he's concerned with.”

“No matter how far they went from God, God welcomed them back when they repented and they turned to him. They were never hopeless. This is a very hopeless moment for Saul because it's too late. But for us, God's silence is not a locked door. It doesn't mean we're locked out of a relationship with him. What it means is that he's knocking. He's knocking on the door. Revelation 3.20, Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come into him, and I will eat with him and he with me. It's an invitation to let Christ come in and dine with us. Because through Christ, there is always hope.”

“If you're in a season this morning where you feel distant from God, I want you to remember this promise from Hebrews, I will never leave you nor forsake you. God's silence is not the same as God's absence. And even when you can't hear God, he is near to you.”

“David was in a season of silence as well. You can read this in the Psalms. As a matter of fact, David is the one who, before Jesus said, my God, my God, why have you forsaken me? He entered into seasons of silence. And he's about to eventually have to fight against Israel or give away his allegiance to Israel. But he, in that moment, was never abandoned by God in his silence. When he felt forsaken, he was never actually forsaken. And the silence he felt was actually accompanied by faith. That's the difference. When God was silent, David remained faithful.”

“If you've trusted in God, you can have faith this morning that you have not been abandoned by God. My encouragement to you, if you're feeling, like, distant, is to continue to seek God in the silence in your life. If you're going through a dark night of the soul, you will one day be able to, I promise you, you will one day be able to look back and know that God was there all along, orchestrating every moment in the silence.”

“If you're here this morning and you've been ignoring the voice of God, pushing back conviction when you feel it, justifying sin, tuning out God, can I just say that the scariest place you will ever find yourself is no longer feeling conviction for your sin? It's a terrifying place to be. And so if you're ignoring God actively this morning, this is not a very comforting passage to you. This is a warning sign. But I just want to say, it's not too late to turn back. Trust in Christ by repenting of your sin and letting Him restore you.”

“Maybe you're here this morning and you've been looking for meaning in all the wrong places. You're looking to self-help. You're looking to crystals. You're looking to false gods, sinful practices, or even spiritually dangerous practices and pagan practices. I just want to tell you this morning, you don't have to go home empty. You don't have to go home without meaning this morning. Here's why. Because God will not abandon those who seek Him.”

“God's silence in your life right now may feel deafening, but don't let it drive you to despair. Don't let it drive you to shortcuts. Don't let it drive you to sin. Let it drive you to seek God more. Because God's heart is not to leave you abandoned. If you've wandered from God, like the prodigal son, let the Spirit work repentance in you and come home. Because what you're going to find is not a God who is waiting there to shame you, to how dare you. You're going to meet a God that is ready to run to you. To meet you with open arms. To put a signet ring that you're a part of the family on your fingers. To put shoes on your feet. To put a coat on you and throw a feast in your honor. That is the God that you will meet when you turn to Him. That's the heart of God. He meets us with grace.”

“Because there is one who was abandoned. There is one who cried out in his last moment on the cross, My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Jesus Christ faced the ultimate silence on the cross so that you never have to be cut off from God. Jesus is the voice in the silence calling you. He is the hope in the darkness in your life. This is why the Bible calls Him the Word made flesh. Seek God this morning because He is not far from anyone in this room.”

“If you're here this morning, it's not too late. You are hearing the Word of God in your life right now. And if you came here this morning looking for hope and all of the craziness in the world, here it is. Jesus is the voice in the silence and He is the hope in the darkness. And He wants you to go to Him for the first time or for the millionth time.”

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