LIVE |Decisions: When God Feels Silent - Pastor Eric Penick

Devotional

Day 1: Cup of Anguish in Moonlight

Jesus knelt beneath olive trees, sweat like blood falling on stone. He told Peter, James, and John: “My soul is crushed with grief to the point of death.” He didn’t ask for solutions or sermons—just their presence. Three times He prayed the raw truth: “Father, if possible, take this cup from Me.” Yet each time He circled back to surrender: “Your will, not Mine.”[01:08:16]

This moment reveals how God honors our raw honesty while refining our resolve. Jesus didn’t hide His dread of the cross but anchored His “yes” to the Father’s greater story. The cup wouldn’t vanish, but angels strengthened Him to drink it (Luke 22:43).

When your prayers hit the ceiling, follow His pattern: name your anguish, then reaffirm trust. What cup have you been begging God to remove that He’s asking you to drink with Him?

“Then Jesus went with his disciples to a place called Gethsemane. He said to them, ‘Sit here while I go over there and pray.’ He took Peter and the two sons of Zebedee along with him, and he began to be sorrowful and troubled. Then he said to them, ‘My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.’”
(Matthew 26:36-38, International Children’s Bible)

Prayer: Ask Jesus for courage to voice your deepest fears while clinging to His “not my will.”

Challenge: Write down one situation where you’re resisting God’s will. Circle it, then write “YOUR WILL” beneath it.

Day 2: Thorns and Sufficient Grace

Paul begged God three times to remove his thorn—a relentless hardship Satan used to harass him. Heaven’s answer wasn’t relief but revelation: “My grace is enough. My power works best in weakness.” The thorn remained, but Paul discovered Christ’s strength in the ache.[01:13:46]

God often permits trials not to punish but to posture us for dependence. Paul’s thorn kept him grounded in grace, his weakness a stage for divine strength. The pain didn’t vanish, but its purpose became clear.

What thorn have you been demanding God uproot that He’s using to root you deeper in Him?

“I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger from Satan to torment me. Three different times I begged the Lord to take it away. Each time he said, ‘My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.’”
(2 Corinthians 12:7-9, NLT)

Prayer: Thank God for a specific weakness where you’ve experienced His sustaining grace.

Challenge: Text one person today: “How can I pray for your thorn?” Listen without offering fixes.

Day 3: From “How Long?” to Hymn

David’s psalm began in despair: “How long will You forget me, Lord? How long must I wrestle sorrow?” He named his agony—then pivoted: “I trust Your love. I’ll sing because You rescued me.” Raw lament became defiant praise.[01:23:44]

God invites our complaints but redirects our gaze. David’s honesty didn’t offend God; it engaged Him. The circumstances didn’t change immediately, but David’s perspective did—from staring at shadows to seeing the Singer.

Where do you need to replace “Why me?” with “I trust You” today?

“Lord, how long will you forget me? How long will you look the other way? How long must I struggle with anguish? […] But I trust in your unfailing love. I will rejoice because you have rescued me.”
(Psalm 13:1,2,5, NLT)

Prayer: Confess one frustration to God, then aloud declare: “But I trust Your love.”

Challenge: Sing or play a worship song within the next hour—even if you feel nothing.

Day 4: Shells and Strengthened Wings

A chick pecking its way out seems trapped, but the struggle pumps blood into wings. Help it too soon, and it dies weak. Jesus said suffering produces perseverance; Paul said it forges hope. Growth requires holy friction.[01:16:04]

God isn’t cruel—He’s cultivating resilience. What feels like abandonment is incubation. Your present struggle isn’t a sign of His absence but a tool in His hand. The shell will break; the wings will fly.

What “shell” are you resentfully pecking at that God might be using to strengthen you?

“We rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope.”
(Romans 5:3-4, ESV)

Prayer: Ask God to show you one area where your struggle is producing spiritual muscle.

Challenge: Do one difficult task you’ve avoided today (a call, confession, act of service) without complaining.

Day 5: Tears and the Teacher’s Voice

Israel wept, feeling forsaken—until God promised: “You’ll see your Teacher. He hears.” Isaiah 30:19 isn’t a promise of instant relief but assured presence. Jesus in Gethsemane proved God hears even when He doesn’t intervene.[01:24:49]

Silence isn’t indifference. Every tear is cataloged (Psalm 56:8), every groan Spirit-translated (Romans 8:26). The Teacher isn’t hidden; He’s walking beside you in the lesson.

When have you mistaken God’s timing for His inattention?

“He will be gracious if you ask for help. He will respond as soon as he hears your cry. Though the Lord gave you adversity, […] your teacher will be right there, training you.”
(Isaiah 30:19-20, NLT)

Prayer: Thank God for a past trial where you later saw His guidance.

Challenge: Set a 3:00 pm alarm labeled “Teacher is here”—pause and breathe when it rings.

Sermon Summary

Jesus in the garden prays straight from the gut. The cup sits in front of him, and the cup does not lie. The text lets the weight be heard in his own words, My soul is deeply grieved to the point of death. The garden asks for presence, not fixes, so Jesus gathers friends simply to watch and stay awake. The prayer tells the truth about desire, Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass, then turns on the hinge that holds the whole night together, yet not what I want, but what you want. The cup names suffering. The but yields to the Father’s will.

Paul joins that garden posture with his thorn. The thorn refuses to move, even after pleading, and grace refuses to fail. My grace is sufficient for you, and power is perfected in weakness. Weakness, then, is not the end of usefulness. Weakness becomes the place where God shows himself strong. The world sells a Calgon, take me away faith, a bubble bath with no boss, no traffic, no crying baby. The gospel gives the cross, the slow road that goes through, not around, because love has a mission bigger than relief.

A squirrel’s stash pictures what many disciples do with stress. Stress gets buried, then forgotten, until buried nuts sprout into trigger trees after a simple greeting. The garden, by contrast, refuses burying. Jesus names the anguish, asks for the cup to pass, and still lays down the right to steer. That rhythm gives language for real prayer: feelings matter, but the Father’s will matters more.

David’s psalm gives that same rhythm its soundtrack. How long, O Lord, says everything the heart feels, and then But I trust in your unfailing love resets the driver’s seat. Romans 5 traces what God is up to when nothing gets easier: suffering produces perseverance, perseverance produces character, character produces hope. Hope is not optimism. Hope is the fruit of staying with God when the cup does not pass.

God is not silent, and God is not a genie. Knock and seek land inside the will of God, not outside it. God hears, God answers, and God sets the timing. The table seals the promise. The bread and the cup say again, Not my will, but my Father’s will, and the church renews its Amen with trust.

Key Takeaways

1. Jesus models honest, surrendered prayer Real prayer tells God the truth about the fear, the ache, and the desired escape, then hands the steering wheel back. The cup names what hurts, and the but sets the terms of trust. Surrender here is not passivity, it is allegiance to the Father’s mission over immediate relief. [69:06]
2. Weakness becomes a theater for power The thorn that will not move becomes a pulpit where grace preaches louder than competence. God chooses soft places to plant sturdy strength, so limitation is not disqualification. The believer learns to boast in dependence, because that is where Christ rests. [74:22]
3. Feelings speak, but do not steer Anguish gets voiced with full volume, yet it does not get the last word. David’s but I trust is the decisive turn from mood to mercy, from swirl to anchor. Emotional honesty becomes holy when it bows to unfailing love. [82:37]
4. Hope grows through practiced endurance Romans does not romanticize pain; it traces its yield. Staying put with God under pressure forges a self that can carry promise without collapsing. That character, tested in fire, becomes a habitat where hope can live. [78:47]
5. Prayer trusts God’s timing, not magic Genie religion wants three wishes and instant exits; the Father gives wisdom, presence, and the right hour. Waiting is not neglect, it is choreography for the good God intends. When the Teacher steps from hiding, the path will be clear enough to walk. [85:46]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[52:52] - Cup of suffering, not my will
[53:11] - Christianity is not easy street
[55:06] - Prayers hitting the ceiling
[58:22] - Collecting stress like squirrels
[60:05] - When buried stress sprouts
[65:42] - Stay here and watch with me
[67:59] - Let this cup pass, but...
[72:44] - Thorn in the flesh and grace
[76:04] - Why struggle grows strength
[78:05] - Suffering, character, and hope
[81:06] - How long, O Lord
[82:37] - But I trust your love
[85:46] - God is not a genie
[103:20] - Bread and cup, renew vows

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading
Matthew 26:39 (ESV)
“And going a little farther he fell on his face and prayed, saying, ‘My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.’”

2 Corinthians 12:9 (ESV)
“But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.”

Romans 5:3-4 (ESV)
“Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope.”

Observation Questions

In Matthew 26:39, what two specific requests does Jesus make in his prayer, and how do they contrast?
According to 2 Corinthians 12:9, what does God say about Paul’s weakness, and how does Paul respond?
What progression does Romans 5:3-4 describe as the result of suffering?

Interpretation Questions

Why might Jesus have asked the disciples to “stay here and watch with me” (Matthew 26:38) even though they couldn’t fix his suffering? [01:05:42]
How does Paul’s “thorn” (2 Corinthians 12:9) challenge the idea that God’s strength is only shown through human success or comfort?
Romans 5:3-4 says suffering produces hope. How does enduring hardship create hope instead of despair?

Application Questions

When have you prayed, “Let this cup pass,” about a situation, and how did you navigate surrendering to God’s will afterward?
What “thorn” (persistent struggle) in your life could you start viewing as a place for God’s grace to shine, rather than a flaw to hide? [01:14:22]
Describe a time when stress or pain “sprouted” unexpectedly (like the buried nuts in the sermon). How could voicing it honestly to God and others help? [01:00:05]
How can you practice saying, “But I trust your love” (like David in Psalm 13) when feelings of abandonment or frustration arise?
The sermon compared God’s timing to a baby chick struggling out of its shell. What current hardship might God be using to strengthen your “spiritual muscles” instead of removing it? [01:16:04]
What practical step could you take this week to shift from seeking a “Calgon take me away” escape to leaning into God’s presence in your stress? [01:09:56]
How might Romans 5:3-4 reframe your perspective on a recurring challenge you’ve been praying about for a long time?

Sermon Clips

Church family, God is not a genie. He's God. You can't raise your hands and say, Lord, I got my third wish. He's God. But pastor, didn't didn't the Bible say if I knock the door, it should be opened and seek and he should find? Yes. All those things are true. Ask and you shall receive. Yes. All those things are true, but they're true because you're in God's will. All those things will happen according to God's will, not my way. Are y'all with me? Are y'all with me? [01:25:43] (43 seconds)

He knew they couldn't fix the problem. I know you guys can't fix the problem. Sure he's told them that. He said, listen. I know you can't fix the problem, but he said, listen. I just want you to be near me. Sometimes when you're going through something, you you don't need someone there to explain to you what you're going through. Sometimes you don't even wanna explain it to them. Sometimes all you really need is is somebody just to be there and just be a friend. I wish somebody knew what I was talking about right now. [01:03:53] (32 seconds)

don't know if I wanna go through the suffering. I don't know if I wanna go through those problems. I don't know if I wanna go through those things. But God says, no. No. No. No. No. No. No. Listen. Your weakness is gonna become something greater for you. Your weakness is gonna actually show the strength that I have for you. My grace that I have for you is gonna be enough to carry you through it. Sometimes we have to learn that God is not gonna take us out of it, but God's gonna take us through it. [01:14:38] (28 seconds)

Sometimes we gotta get ourselves out of the way and say, Lord, I don't wanna have to go through this. I don't wanna have to do this. It's gonna be hard. It's gonna be difficult, but Lord, not my way. But what? And when we do that, he will answer, and we will see him move. Church family, I want you all to remember this one one simple thing. I want you all to know that God is not silent. God is not silent. We just have to trust. That's what Jesus did. When he sat there in that garden, he trusted. [01:26:26] (68 seconds)

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LIVE |Decisions: When God Feels Silent - Pastor Eric Penick | 5/16/26