I’ve noticed over the years that one of the hardest things is stay quiet when we feel misunderstood. Or when someone questions our motives, or we’re criticized unfairly. When part of the story gets told, but not the whole thing. Something in us rises up and says, I need to fix this. I need to explain.
Sometimes that instinct is right. But not always.
There’s a small line in Leviticus 10 that has stayed with me. After Aaron loses his sons in a shocking moment of judgment, the text simply says, “Aaron remained silent.” It doesn’t say he understood or agreed, but that he stayed silent.
To me, that’s more than silence… it’s restraint. It’s the choice to not accuse God when we have no answers.
David shows us another version of this in 2 Samuel 16. A man named Shimei publicly curses him while he’s already at a low point. David’s men are ready to shut it down. David could’ve defended himself, but instead – he lets it happen and leaves the outcome in God’s hands. He chooses restraint over personal vindication.
And then there’s Jesus in Matthew 27. Standing before Pilate, falsely accused, He says almost nothing. He had the clearest mind in the room. He could have dismantled every charge, but He entrusted Himself to the Father and stayed quiet.
That kind of silence takes a lot of strength. It’s certainly not weakness. Actually, it’s trust. It’s knowing that God sees the situation and knows the truth. We don’t have to manage every perception.
The older I get, the more I see how much energy goes into defending ourselves, or explaining ourselves, or correcting every misunderstanding. But sometimes the most faithful thing we can do is let our character speak over time and let God handle the rest.
Of course, there are times to speak. Silence can be sinful if we avoid speaking truth out of fear. But there are also moments when speaking is really just anxiety dressed up as courage.
Am I talking because truth requires it, or is it because my ego requires it?
Silence, when it is rooted in trust, is a quiet way of placing our reputation in God’s hands. It’s not giving up. It’s letting go.
And that’s not easy!
But it is freeing.
Former Blackout Artist 