The Silence Between Prayers: When Mental Struggles Don’t Go Away Overnight
What do we do when the moments of apparent silence, when we have prayed, turn into days, weeks, months, years?
This is what it seems like for some of us right now. There is an issue. God says ask, seek, knock, and we have done that. He said Cast our cares on Him. We have done that. He also said Do not fear, do not be discouraged. Well, we are working on that part.
Truth be told, many of us are in a space right now where it seems as though God is silent. And this is a painful moment. There’s a particular kind of pain that sits in the silence—the stretch between praying and seeing change.
I am not at all suggesting that it is a lack of faith. Perhaps we do need to exercise our faith more or increase our measure of faith.
But what we are suggesting here is that the pain of silence comes from the weight of holding on while nothing around you seems to move. It’s waking up still feeling anxious, still feeling empty, still battling thoughts you thought would be gone by now, still hoping for a change for the better.
This place is familiar to John the Baptist.
Bold. Anointed. Uncompromising. He baptized Jesus, saw the heavens open, and heard the voice of God declare Christ as His Son. But months later, John found himself alone in prison, forgotten by the crowds and unsure about the very one he once proclaimed.
Matthew 11:2–3, NLT “John the Baptist, who was in prison, heard about all the things the Messiah was doing. So he sent his disciples to ask Jesus, ‘Are you the Messiah we’ve been expecting, or should we keep looking for someone else?’”
These aren’t words of confidence. These are the cries of a weary soul. John was emotionally depleted and spiritually disoriented. His faith wasn’t gone, but it was hurting.
Then came Jesus to the rescue. Hallelujah. Jesus’ response was not a rebuke. It was affirmation. “Go back to John and tell him what you have heard and seen—the blind see, the lame walk… and he is blessed who does not fall away on account of Me.” (Matthew 11:4–6, NLT/ESV).
And then, He turned to the crowd and said, “Among those born of women there has not risen anyone greater than John the Baptist.” (v. 11, NIV).
Jesus validated John’s faith—even in the silence. He didn't answer the question with escape. He answered it with evidence of His faithfulness.
Mental health recovery Family often unfolds the same way. Not in sudden resolution, but in daily reminders: God is still working even when we’re still waiting.
Psalm 13:1 (NLT) says, “O Lord, how long will you forget me? Forever? How long will you look the other way?” This psalm isn’t weak faith. It’s raw faith—the kind that keeps talking to God even when answers don’t come quickly.
Sometimes we confuse delayed healing with divine absence. Just like sometimes we blame the devil for our own mistakes and the consequences that follow. Hmm.
But there is such good news - God is never absent.
Isaiah 41:10 (ESV) assures us, “Do not fear, for I am with you… I will strengthen you and help you.” Strength doesn’t always feel like shouting—it can look like simply staying in the fight another day.
Mental health struggles that linger don’t mean God has abandoned us. Like John, we can be full of faith and still wrestle with deep questions.
We are reassured that God is not offended by our fatigue. He honours our endurance.
So we are not less spiritual because the pain hasn't lifted overnight. You are not a failure because you need support or still feel low. Nor am I a failure because I feel low sometimes, and I need some support.
Family, we all need healing, but we have to understand that healing is not a race. Healing is a relationship, and God walks every seemingly slow mile with us.
So when we find ourselves in that silent period between prayers, remember: Jesus sees you, Jesus honours you, and Jesus is still moving behind the scenes.
Even here, amid these emotional and mental struggles, you are not forgotten. I am not forgotten.
aub - 8Jul25
The Silence Between Prayers: When Mental Struggles Don’t Go Away Overnight. Live Empowerment Session
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