Why God’s Silence Isn’t Absence: What’s Really Happening Behind the Scenes of Your Prayers

King Solomon teaches in Kohelet (Ecclesiastes 5:1): "Do not be quick with your mouth, and do not let your heart be hasty to utter a word before God. For God is in Heaven and you are on Earth; therefore, let your words be few."

To understand his message, we begin with a parable:

The Parable of the Impatient Wealthy Man

A very wealthy businessman, whose enterprises spanned several countries, began to suffer from deteriorating health. He couldn't sleep or eat properly due to the constant stress of managing his empire. Realizing he needed to restore his health, he decided to retreat each year for two months to a private seaside estate, complete with every luxury imaginable.

He hired a trusted and honest contractor, with one condition: the construction must be completed as soon as possible, because his strength was fading.

Although the man was highly successful in many fields, he knew nothing about construction. The contractor began the project with great care and diligence, employing skilled workers and the best tools available.

After only two months, the wealthy man impatiently called the contractor: "Can I move in now? My health is getting worse."
The contractor replied: "We’ve only just finished laying the foundations." Disappointed and frustrated, the man hung up the phone in anger.

A month later, he called again: "Surely it's ready by now!"
"We just finished pouring the first floor’s roof," said the contractor.

This time, the man’s frustration boiled over, and he ended the call in visible rage. Several more months passed. Convinced the home must be ready, the man called once again — only to be told the work was still in progress. He exploded: "You're failing me! You're lazy, and I suspect you're trying to steal from me!"

"And Zion said, ‘God has abandoned me’…" (Isaiah 49:14)

Let’s reflect: Had the wealthy man lived on-site, watching how the workers toiled and how each detail was slowly, carefully crafted, would he have doubted the contractor’s integrity? Certainly not. His lack of visibility led him to mistrust the process and forget how much was being done for his benefit, out of sight.

So it is with a Jew waiting for salvation — a spouse, a child, healing, livelihood. He prays, turns to God, and when things don’t move fast enough, he prays again, asking, “Why haven’t You answered me?” Months later, in pain and frustration, he might cry out, “God, have You forgotten me?” as it says: "Zion said, 'The Lord has forsaken me, and my God has forgotten me.'" (Isaiah 49:14)

What is God's answer? (Isaiah 49:15): "Can a mother forget her baby or fail to have compassion on the child of her womb? Even if she could forget, I will not forget you."

God Is Building Your Salvation — You Just Can’t See It Yet

This is the meaning of Solomon’s words: “God is in Heaven and you are on Earth…” You're not in Heaven. You’re not standing on the “construction site” where your salvation is being prepared with precision. That’s why “let your words be few” — not because your prayers aren't heard, but because you don’t see how much is happening behind the scenes, in your favor.

We cannot see how each delay and each moment of suffering, is part of the divine blueprint. However, God is faithful, always working nonstop toward our salvation. Every apparent delay contains hidden benefit and even the smallest hardship contributes toward bringing your redemption closer.

Every Delay Is an Eternal Investment

Not only is the "construction" of salvation progressing invisibly above, but our patience is an investment. For every moment of restraint, we are rewarded with eternal gain. Each “delay” we experience is actually a spiritual investment, that will pay infinite dividends forever.

The Ramban and the Secret of Ultimate Truth

A powerful story from Ma'am Lo'ez tells of the Ramban’s student who fell ill. As the end approached, the Ramban gave him a kame’a (spiritual amulet) and a list of profound questions about the Jewish people, instructing him to use the kame’a to enter the Heavenly chambers and return in a dream with answers.

After the student passed away, he appeared to the Ramban in a vision and said: "Every gate opened before me when I showed the kame’a, and I ascended all the way to the supreme chamber you mentioned. But when I wished to ask the questions you had prepared...I saw clearly that those questions don’t exist in the World of Truth. There, everything is clear, just, and resolved. There are no doubts."

We don’t see the full picture and we don’t know what is being built for us above. However, we can trust that God is not idle. Every prayer, every moment of pain, and every delay has a purpose. We are in the hands of a faithful Builder, crafting an eternal good beyond anything we can imagine.