When Silence Hurts
I stared at the screen, blinking. One review. One star. On one of my newest children's picture books. My first one-star review ever. Somewhere, confetti was supposed to fall, and angels were supposed to sing, "Well done, thou good and faithful author." Instead, it felt more like, "Mene, Mene, Tekel, Upharsin. You've been weighed in the balances and found wanting." Ouch!
Confusion hit first. I read the review again and again, trying to match the harshness of the rating with the sweetness of the story I'd written. This book, like all the others I've written, had been prayed over, labored over, and, honestly, loved over. It had been written for children who needed hope and truth in a world gone mad. How could someone look at that and see only something worthy of one lonely, miserable star?
Then another question surfaced, and it hurt in a different way: Where are all the readers who say they love my work?The ones who tell me in person that my books blessed them. The ones who message me to say, "This was exactly what I needed today." Did they vanish when it came time to click those little stars and type a few kind words? Not out of malice, of course. Just...silence. And somehow that silence suddenly felt louder than that one-star shout.
And that's where the lesson began to take shape in my heart.
When Good People Say Nothing
We Christians love to talk about how dark the world is getting. We shake our heads at the news and wonder what on earth has happened to common sense and decency. But as that one lonely review sat on my book's page, drowning in the silence of all the people who liked the book but didn't say anything, I couldn't help but wonder: Is this a tiny picture of a bigger spiritual problem?
We often assume that evil wins because it's stronger. But many times, evil wins simply because it's louder. The world is not shy about its opinions. Meanwhile, God's people often sit quietly on the sidelines, uncomfortable with the idea of "making waves." We don't want to seem pushy. We don't want to offend. So we sigh, grieve, whisper to one another in church hallways...and then we go quiet.
But Jesus was not always quiet.
Jesus Spoke Up In Love and In Truth
When Jesus entered the temple and saw the moneychangers turning His Father's house into a marketplace, He did not fold His hands and murmur, "Well, that's unfortunate." He made a whip, turned over tables, and drove them out. That was not "nice." It was holy. It was righteous. It was love for the Father's honor and for the people being cheated.
On the other hand, when He saw a widow casting in her two mites, He didn't stand back silently, thinking, "Well, God sees. That's enough." He said something.
"And he said, Of a truth I say unto you, that this poor widow hath cast in more than they all." - Luke 21:3 (KJV)
He publicly praised her. He drew attention to the good so others could see it and learn from it. He did the same with the centurion's great faith, the woman who anointed His feet, and many others. Jesus didn't just call out what was wrong. He highlighted what was right.
That's the balance we're so often missing.
The Power of Words And the Cost of Silence
We are commanded to "speak the truth in love." That means when something is wrong, we don't shrug and say, "Oh well, that's the way the world is." We speak up, graciously but clearly. When someone is hurting, discouraged, or walking faithfully in a hard place, we don't assume, "They know I appreciate them." We tell them. We testify. We encourage. We point and say, "Look what God is doing over there!"
"A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in pictures of silver." - Proverbs 25:11 (KJV)
But when we keep quiet, when we withhold truth out of fear and withhold praise out of busyness or distraction, darkness gets center stage by default. Lies go unchallenged. Good works go unnoticed. And yes, sometimes one loud, negative voice stands alone on a page while dozens of grateful hearts remain invisible.
Is it possible that part of the reason the world seems so dark is not just because the wicked are loud, but because the righteous are quiet?
Sometimes God's People Need to Speak Up
This is not a call to become keyboard warriors who rant and rave. Nor is it a shameless plea to review my books (though that would certainly be appreciated). This is a call to intentional, Spirit-led speech.
When something is wrong, ask God for the courage to "earnestly contend for the faith" while still reflecting His love.
When something is good, right, and wholesome, ask God for the nudge to say so. Leave the review. Send the note. Speak the encouragement. Shine a spotlight on what glorifies Him.
"Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, whom he hath redeemed from the hand of the enemy." - Psalm 107:2 (KJV)
The enemy has had the microphone long enough. It's time for God's people to stop sitting mutely on the sidelines. Your words—yes, yours—can steady a weary heart, confirm someone's calling, or point a watching world to the goodness of God.
As for that one-star review? It still stings. But it has also reminded me that my own silence has wounded others, too. So, I'm choosing to see it as a holy nudge, not just to keep writing, but to keep speaking: truth when it's hard, encouragement when it's needed, and praise when it's deserved.
Not because my voice is big, but because my God is worthy.
🔍 PULLING BACK THE CURTAIN: A Peek at the Study Behind This Post
This devotion started with a gut-punch: that first one-star review on a tender children’s book and the loud silence from everyone who actually liked it. That little scene sent me on a treasure hunt through Scripture about when God’s people speak… and when they don’t.
Start with the sting. I jotted down exactly how I felt seeing that one-star—words like rejected, confused, invisible. Then I asked, “Where in the Bible do God’s people feel this kind of mismatch between reality and response?”
Trace the theme of silence and speech. - I searched passages where God’s people were quiet when they shouldn’t be, and where they did speak up. That led me to stories of complaints about evil, prophetic warnings, and verses about “crying aloud” and “holding peace.” Isaiah and the prophets are gold mines for this.
Zoom in on Jesus’ example. - Next, I focused on the Gospels: Jesus overturning tables in the temple, and Jesus praising the widow with the two mites in Luke 21. I asked, “When did Jesus use strong words? When did He use words of praise? What does that teach me about my own voice?”
Connect it to everyday life. - I drew a straight line from “no reviews vs. loud criticism” to “evil being loud vs. Christians being quiet.” The verse about “a word fitly spoken” in Proverbs 25:11 helped anchor the idea that well-timed speech is both beautiful and necessary.
Shape the main takeaway. - Finally, I summed it up this way: sometimes, love means speaking—calling out wrong and spotlighting right—so the good isn’t drowned out by the bad. The one-star review became a tiny object lesson about the cost of silence.
Total time: All told, the heart of this study took maybe 45–60 minutes, more like a deep conversation with the Lord than a research paper.
Want to try this yourself? Start with something that bothered or blessed you this week. Name the feeling. Ask, “Where do I see this in Scripture?” Follow the cross-references, take a few notes, and keep asking, “So what does this teach me about how to live today?” You’ll be amazed at how everyday life turns into a trail of clues straight into God’s Word.