Matthew Wickman explores how the Book of Mormon may answer why it sometimes feels like God is silent—and what that silence could mean.
Many of us often turn to God seeking answers to life’s questions. At times, those seeking revelation may hope God will respond as clearly and immediately as a Magic 8-Ball, though He rarely does. More often, those who seek revelation must wait a while for the answers they seek. For English Professor Matthew Wickman (Literature and Spiritual Experience), these periods of waiting have proven insightful. During his Wonder of Scripture lecture on February 6, 2026, titled “What Can the Book of Mormon Teach Us About Divine Silence?” Wickman suggested that while God’s distinct way of communicating may at first feel like silence, it may actually be intentional.
Navigating Silence
A core belief of the Latter-day Saint faith is that God still speaks to those willing to hear Him today. Wickman observed how because of this, Latter-day Saints tend to focus more on God’s speech than on His silence. Ironically, Wickman said, most who seek revelation are quite familiar with the experience of silence, a feeling he described as “the abyssal depths that occasionally swallow our whys and why nots and what nows and how much longers.”
Wickman taught that not all silence is the same. He clarified the difference between divine silence and what he calls fallen silence. “Fallen silence represents a separation from God,” he explained. Often, the effect of fallen silence “is not quiet but noise, contention, dispute, chaos, confusion, and so on.” Divine silence “is nothing like this.” It instead results from “the Lord’s distinctive ways of intervening in our lives.” Though sometimes fallen silence is a result of sin or neglect, divine silence appears as one of God’s forms of communication.
Divine silence, Wickman explained, is something he’s found rather common in his study of the Book of Mormon. He said, “What I find especially compelling about silence and the Book of Mormon is that silence rarely presents the attainment of perfect connection with God. More often, it presents tutorials in how to draw nearer to God.”
Building a relationship with God requires us to learn to navigate a range of divine silences.
Though the narrators in the Book of Mormon were righteous followers of God, it was rare for even them to receive clear and immediate answers to questions. Similar to many revelation seekers today, they, too, experienced silence from time to time. The narratives documented in the Book of Mormon, Wickman said, teach that “building a relationship with God requires us to learn to navigate a range of divine silences.” To illustrate his point, Wickman elaborated on three examples from the Book of Mormon, each highlighting a specific version of divine silence.
A Merciful Silence
Wickman turned to the prophet Lehi for his first example of divine silence. In the Book of Mormon, the Lord commanded Lehi to depart into the wilderness, return to Jerusalem to retrieve the brass plates from Laban, and return once more to bring Ishmael’s family into the wilderness with them. This example demonstrates that “God never reveals all His word at once,” Wickman said. Rather, He provides revelation line upon line. What may have felt frustrating to Lehi’s family was actually intentional communication from the Lord.
Wickman shared that he’s seen this principle take action in his own life. “The Lord withholds plenty from me,” he said, “and this has always proven merciful, even when silence occasionally feels frustrating.” Wickman labeled this as a merciful silence, or “a way of ensuring that the heavenly word we need doesn’t overwhelm us by divulging everything at once.”
A Consoling Silence
The next example of divine silence Wickman shared was the Lord’s promise to Alma’s people when they were placed in bondage and threatened with death if they prayed. Knowing the thoughts of their hearts, the Lord revealed to them that He would deliver them out of bondage, but He did not specify when. However, he promised in the meantime to ease the burdens that were put on their shoulders. It wasn’t until later that the Lord informed Alma’s people of His plan for their deliverance. “What strikes me here is that gap between two moments,” Wickman said, referring to the waiting period Alma’s people underwent. “Between those moments of voice, we have the silence of the Lord.”
While awaiting their deliverance, Alma’s people did not worry further about when the Lord would speak to them once more. Instead, they found comfort in the fact that He had come to ease their burdens. Wickman called this a consoling silence, one where God provides “a source of presence and promise as we await answers to our prayers.”
An Attuning Silence
Wickman’s third example of divine silence was the resurrected Christ’s appearance to the people of Nephi. As Christ descended, they heard a still, small voice coming from heaven. “God’s presence here is discernible, but subtle,” said Wickman. The people were unable to fully hear Him until they directed their eyes and ears toward the sound and listened with intent. This type of voice, Wickman said, instills in us “a new modality of perception.”
He identified this silence as an attuning silence, or the “frequency through which God calls to us at the edge of our perceptive capacities.” Through attuning silence, God often “refines our ability to receive and thus follow Christ,” teaching us to become fluent in the language of the Spirit.
Drawing Nearer to God Through Silence
Using these three instances and drawing from his own life, Wickman taught how the Book of Mormon “illustrates how God reaches us across and through silence to sharpen our perceptions and understanding of His divine nature.”
The silence that revelation seekers encounter as they seek answers to questions is, Wickman argues, God’s intentional communication. His analysis of the Book of Mormon teaches to interpret God’s silence as a form of revelation, helping individuals draw nearer to Him.
Learn more about Wickman’s work here.