The Silence of God: Chasing Spiritual Highs or Steadfast Faith?

In the journey of faith, one of the more challenging experiences is the silence of God. Whether rooted in personal crises, seasons of doubt, or simply the ebb and flow of human existence, we all encounter moments where God seems distant. These moments of divine quietude can provoke profound questions: Why is God silent? Am I doing something wrong? Is my faith not strong enough? Yet perhaps the most pressing question is one we rarely consider: Am I seeking the highs of spiritual experience, or am I holding steadfast, regardless of the present moment?

This chapter explores the duality between the hunger for transcendent spiritual moments and the call to remain faithful during God’s perceived silence. It challenges the reader to examine their own motivations in their spiritual journey and offers theological, philosophical, and practical reflections on living with a steadfast heart even when the divine voice seems absent.

Chasing After Spiritual Highs

In many modern religious contexts, particularly in charismatic and evangelical circles, there is a strong emphasis on experiencing God. People seek after spiritual highs, intense emotional or mystical encounters with the Divine. These experiences are often portrayed as evidence of a deeper connection with God, a sign that one’s faith is vibrant and alive. Many of us equate the presence of God with tangible feelings of joy, peace, or awe. When we sing in worship, when we pray in fervor, when we witness miracles, we feel a closeness to God that reinforces our belief. 

However, a subtle danger exists when spiritual highs become the sole barometer of one’s relationship with God. Like a drug that provides a temporary euphoria, chasing after these moments can lead to an addiction of sorts, where one begins to rely on the highs to sustain faith. In these seasons, faith may no longer be about trust or submission but about the next emotional or spiritual peak.

Consider the Israelites in the wilderness. After witnessing the miraculous parting of the Red Sea and the daily provision of manna, their faith seemed dependent on continuous divine interventions. Yet when the miracles paused, their faith wavered. They longed for the next sign, the next tangible proof that God was with them. When God was silent, they despaired.

This mirrors the spiritual life of many believers today. When God is speaking, when prayers are being answered, when everything aligns, faith feels natural. But when God is quiet, when prayers seem to go unanswered, when suffering enters our lives, this is where the depth of our faith is truly tested. Do we seek God only in the highs? Are we content to rest in His presence, even in His silence?

The Theology of Divine Silence

The Bible and many religious traditions offer rich reflections on God’s silence. From Job’s anguished cries for understanding to the psalmist’s lament, “Why have you forsaken me?” (Psalm 22:1), divine silence is not a new phenomenon, nor is it absent from sacred texts. In the Christian tradition, even Jesus on the cross experienced this profound sense of abandonment, crying out to a seemingly absent Father.

God’s silence, as explored in these narratives, is not necessarily punitive. Instead, it can be a space for growth. St. John of the Cross referred to these periods as “the dark night of the soul,” a time when God withdraws the sweetness of spiritual consolations to draw the believer into deeper faith and trust. In these seasons, God is not absent, but rather present in ways that transcend our human senses. It is a form of divine pedagogy, teaching us that true faith is not contingent upon constant validation or emotional reassurance. 

In theological terms, God’s silence challenges the notion that our relationship with the Divine is transactional. If we expect God to always reward our prayers with spiritual highs, we misunderstand the nature of divine love. God is not a cosmic vending machine, dispensing blessings and experiences on demand. Instead, faith invites us to trust that God’s presence endures even when it cannot be felt. 

The Philosophical Challenge: Presence Beyond Experience

From a philosophical perspective, the silence of God raises deeper questions about the nature of experience itself. Do we equate reality solely with what we can perceive? If so, God’s silence could be seen as a negation of His presence. However, many philosophers, particularly within existential and phenomenological traditions, argue that reality is not limited to what can be sensed or immediately experienced.

Philosophers like Søren Kierkegaard argued that faith, by its very nature, requires a leap into the unknown. It requires trust in the unseen, the unheard, and the unfelt. Faith is not about certainty; it is about commitment in the face of uncertainty. God’s silence, in this view, is not a denial of His existence but a call to trust in His transcendence. It is a reminder that God is not confined to our human categories of presence and absence, speech and silence.

Similarly, Martin Buber’s philosophy of the I-Thou relationship provides insight. Buber emphasized that in a true relationship with the Divine, God is not merely an object of our experience (an It) but a living Thou—a subject with whom we enter into communion. In this relationship, silence does not mean absence but rather the potential for deeper intimacy. Silence becomes a space where we learn to listen beyond words, where we encounter God’s presence in stillness.

Steadfastness in the Present Moment

In light of this, what does it mean to be steadfast in the silence of God? Steadfastness implies perseverance, fidelity, and unwavering commitment. It is a call to trust in God, not because of what we feel or experience, but because of who God is. 

The mystics of many religious traditions have emphasized the importance of remaining faithful in the present moment, regardless of spiritual highs or lows. Brother Lawrence, a 17th-century monk, wrote of practicing the presence of God in the mundane tasks of life, finding divine communion in the simple act of washing dishes. His faith was not contingent upon dramatic spiritual experiences but upon an abiding sense that God was present in every moment, even when unperceived.

In practical terms, steadfast faith looks like prayer in the absence of answers, worship when emotions run dry, and obedience when God’s voice is silent. It means cultivating spiritual disciplines not for the sake of spiritual highs but for the sake of sustaining a relationship with God, even in the ordinary and difficult moments of life.

Conclusion: Faith in the Silence

Ultimately, the silence of God invites us to a more mature, grounded faith. It challenges us to examine our motivations: Are we chasing after spiritual highs, or are we committed to remaining faithful regardless of our present experience? 

God’s silence is not abandonment, nor is it punishment. It is an invitation to trust in the unseen and to hold fast to the belief that God’s presence is not contingent upon our experience. Like a deeply rooted tree that endures through drought, steadfast faith anchors us, allowing us to weather the seasons of divine silence with hope, patience, and trust. 

In the end, the question is not whether God is speaking or silent, but whether we are willing to remain faithful, even when He chooses to speak through the quiet.