I remember the nights I spent begging for answers. Pleading. Crying. Promising to be better, to have more faith, if only God would just show up.

But he never did. . .

I know I’m not the only one who’s been there—on my knees, hands clasped so tight they ached, whispering into the darkness, hoping somethin..someone..was listening. The Bible says, “Ask, and it shall be given to you.” But what happens when you ask, and the only thing you get is silence?

At first, I told myself it was my fault. Maybe I wasn’t praying hard enough. Maybe I didn’t have enough faith. Maybe I was being tested, and if I just held on a little longer, God would finally answer. That’s what I had been taught my whole life… “God’s timing is perfect, his plan is beyond our understanding, and if we don’t get an answer, it’s because he’s working in ways we can’t see”.

But that reasoning started to feel hollow when I looked at the world around me. I saw people in desperate need, crying out to God with no reply. Children suffering. Parents grieving. Victims of violence, sickness, and war begging for relief that never comes. And then I saw the ones who claimed God answered their prayers—people thanking God for a job promotion, a good parking spot, or a winning touchdown while others starved, died, or lost everything.

It didn’t make sense. Why would a loving, all-powerful God intervene in trivial matters but ignore the prayers that actually mattered? Why would he be so selective, so inconsistent? And why did faith seem to demand that we make excuses for God’s absence rather than admit the truth (maybe he was never there to begin with)?

The realization wasn’t easy. It shattered everything I had built my life around. But when I stopped making excuses for God and started thinking critically, something amazing happened. I found clarity. I found peace. I found myself.

And that’s what terrifies religion the most.

It’s not easy, but when you step back and truly examine your faith, when you stop justifying the silence and start questioning it, the answers you find might not be the ones you expected, but they will bring peace in knowing the truth.

If you’ve ever felt abandoned by your faith, if you’ve ever wondered why God seems to answer some prayers but not yours, if you’ve ever questioned whether he’s even listening—you’re not alone. And maybe it’s time to ask the question religion fears the most: What if the silence isn’t a test? What if it’s the answer?

Let’s talk about it.