I am 5 and 7 years younger than my brother and sister. So during the weekly family game night of hide and go seek in the dark, I needed someone to help me navigate the dark, scary house when I first got the invitation to play with them. It quickly became a point of contention as I often gave away our hiding spot with my insistent talking to my partner in crime.

I remember the feeling, it was dark, and we were trying to be quiet, but the sound of silence was overwhelming, so I had to break the silence, if nothing else, to bring me comfort. When my brother and sister just wanted me to relax and wait to be found.

I find it interesting that Isaiah 41 starts with a command to “listen to me in silence.” How often do we want an answer from God, so we go to Him in prayer, but we do all the talking? And when we do all the talking, we stop our ears, or hearts in this case, from listening.

Isaiah 41 starts with a command to listen, and immediately we are given the reason in the rest of the verse – “let the peoples renew their strength.”

If you are searching for God’s will, if the question “why” is haunting your thoughts, instead of talking through it, try listening. Listen to the Lord in silence. And trust that you are listening to the God who holds you with his righteous right hand (Is. 41:10) and meets victory with every step (Is. 41:2).