The Power of Silence in God's Work

Start with a bold statement:

“The loudest moment in your life might not be when God shouts—it might be when He whispers.”

• Open with a relatable scenario—talk about how people naturally expect God to move through loud, dramatic ways. We want to see burning bushes, fire from heaven, seas split in two.

• Transition: But what if we’ve missed God because we were too busy looking for the spectacular?

• Pose the question: What if the reason we haven’t seen our Red Sea part is because we haven’t first learned to stand still?

Introduce the theme of the sermon:

God often moves in silence. He works in the stillness. And today, we’re going to look at moments in Scripture where God demanded silence—because in that silence, miracles were set in motion.

Point 1: The Silence Before Creation (Genesis 1:1-3) (8 minutes)

Scripture: “In the beginning, God created the heaven and the earth. And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.”

Key idea: Before creation, there was silence—an emptiness, a void. Yet even in the stillness, God moved.

• Expound: There was no noise, no fanfare. The Spirit of God was hovering in the darkness. But when He spoke, everything changed.

• Application: Some of us are waiting for God to “speak” into our lives, but we haven’t allowed Him room to move in the silence first.

• Challenge: Are you uncomfortable with silence in your life? Are you filling every quiet moment with noise, afraid of what God might reveal if you sat still long enough to hear Him?

Fire it up: “Before the heavens roared, before the earth trembled, God was already moving in the silence. Don’t mistake quiet for the absence of God—because the Spirit is still hovering over your situation.”

Point 2: Calming the Storm (Mark 4:39-40) (10 minutes)

Scripture: “And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm.”

• Scene-setting: The disciples are in a storm. The wind is fierce. The boat is rocking. They’re afraid—they think they’re going to die. And what does Jesus do?

• He doesn’t shout at the storm—He speaks to it: “Peace, be still.” (Phimoo — muzzle it, silence it, like putting a leash on a wild animal.)

• Key point: Sometimes, the greatest miracle is not in God preventing the storm but in Him silencing it.

Application:

• There are storms in our lives—storms of fear, depression, doubt—but Jesus’ response isn’t always to remove the storm. Sometimes, He calms us first.

• The storm didn’t stop until Jesus commanded silence. Could it be that your storm hasn’t calmed because you haven’t allowed Jesus to speak stillness into your heart?

Challenge: “You’re asking God to take the storm away, but He’s trying to quiet your soul first. Will you let Him speak peace over you before He speaks to the waves?”

Point 3: Jairus’ Daughter (Luke 8:52-55) (10 minutes)

Scripture: “And all wept, and bewailed her: but he said, Weep not; she is not dead, but sleepeth. And they laughed him to scorn, knowing that she was dead. And he put them all out…”

• Set the scene: The house is chaotic. Mourners are wailing. The crowd is loud with grief.

• What does Jesus do? He puts them out. He clears the room. He removes the noise.

• Only when the noise is gone does He speak to the girl: “Maid, arise.”

Key point:

• Jesus couldn’t work the miracle until the noise was removed.

• The mockers had to leave before the miracle could happen.

Fire it up: “Some of us have let too many voices into the room. We’ve allowed the noise of doubt, fear, and criticism to drown out what God is about to do. It’s time to put the noise out!”

Application:

• Who do you need to remove from your “room”?

• What voices are so loud in your life that you can’t hear Jesus saying, “Arise”?

Challenge: “Jesus didn’t argue with the mockers—He removed them. Stop trying to negotiate with your doubts—put them out!”

Point 4: Stand Still at the Red Sea (Exodus 14:13-14) (10 minutes)

Scripture: “And Moses said unto the people, Fear ye not, stand still (hityasbu), and see the salvation of the Lord…”

• The Israelites were trapped. The Red Sea before them, Pharaoh’s army behind them. The people were panicking.

• What did Moses say? “Stand still.” Don’t fight. Don’t flee. Be silent and watch God move.

Key point:

• The miracle came only after they stood still.

• God didn’t part the sea while they were running around in panic—He moved when they were silent.

Application:

• Some of us are so busy trying to fix our situations that we haven’t stood still long enough for God to part the sea.

• Are you trusting God enough to stop striving and stand still?

Fire it up: “You can’t part the sea, but God can. You can’t defeat Pharaoh, but God will. Your job is not to fight—it’s to stand still and watch the Lord fight for you!”

Closing: The Call to Silence (7 minutes)

Tie everything together:

• Before creation—silence.

• Before the storm was calmed—silence.

• Before the girl was raised—silence.

• Before the sea was parted—silence.

Ask the congregation:

• “What noise in your life is blocking God’s voice?”

• “Are you so focused on the earthquake, the fire, the wind—that you’re missing the still small voice?”

Challenge:

• If you want to see God move, you need to embrace the silence.

• The next time you feel stuck, don’t shout louder—stand still.

• Don’t fill the silence with fear—let the silence be the place where God speaks.

Final Prayer:

“Lord, we’ve been running, shouting, and striving—trying to make things happen in our strength. But tonight, we lay it all down. We choose to stand still. We choose to be silent. Speak to us, Lord. Move in the quiet. Part our seas, calm our storms, and raise what we thought was dead. In the powerful name of Jesus, Amen.”