I don’t know about you, but somedays have me feeling a little numb and dumb. Let me see it I can find the words to explain, because quite honestly, for a gal who usually finds words rather easily, lately they've evaded me — not because I don’t think them — it’s actually the contrary. They bombard me to the point of questioning my sanity. It can all be quite wearying, rather confusing, and it all leaves me feeling a little numb and dumb.

But in all my pondering, I’ve concluded, I don’t want to just find my voice in all the noise, but rather to I want to recognize His in a world that seems louder than ever.

The online world has become a place of endless opinions, competing narratives, polished appearances, and carefully curated versions of truth. Everywhere I look, someone is claiming certainty, demanding attention, or inviting trust. In all the noise, I’m not just asking myself, “What should I say?”, but also “Whose voice am I listening to?”

Chapter 2 of my Bible study, CALLED, explores spiritual paralysis. Recently, though, I've felt something more like spiritual laryngitis. My heart is full of what God has been teaching me, yet finding words to share it all seems to be a perplexity. Perhaps that’s because God is doing something deeper than helping me merely find something to say. He’s helping me find Him in His Word. He’s teaching me that seeking Him above speaking on His behalf is the more valuable thing, and honestly, the only way I’ll ever have anything valuable to say.

Discernment isn't found by listening to more voices. It's found by drawing nearer to the One who is Truth.

As I’ve watched our world become increasingly confusing, I’ve felt the weight of trying to distinguish what’s real from what’s counterfeit. It’s exhausting to sort through so much noise. But maybe the invitation isn’t to become better at filtering every opinion. Maybe it’s to become so familiar with God’s voice, the others lose their power to distract us.

Jesus never promised a world without confusion, but He did say He is “the way, the truth, and the life” (John 14:6). And two chapters later, He says, “I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world” (John 16:33, ESV).

So instead of rushing to add my own voice to the noise, I want to prioritize praying over posting. I want to cry out to God more than try to explain to others everything I feel. I want to continue to bring questions, grief, and burdens before His throne of grace, trusting that He is neither confused nor overwhelmed by the chaos around us.

The more time I spend with Him, the more I realize that clarity isn't found in having every answer. It's found in abiding with the One who never changes.

Spiritual paralysis can leave us stuck. Spiritual laryngitis can leave us silent. And both can make us feel numb and dumb. But God has a way of replacing both with something better—not louder opinions, but quiet confidence born from His presence. As He draws us closer to His heart, He sharpens our discernment, steadies our steps, and reminds us that our calling isn't to echo the culture but to reflect Christ.

When we know Him, we begin to recognize His voice above every competing one. We learn to hold loosely to the opinions of man and firmly to the unchanging Word of God. We stop chasing every new message because we've anchored ourselves to the eternal Message.

“And he made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place, that they should seek God, and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him. Yet he is actually not far from each one of us,” (Acts 17:26-27, ESV)

Even when words fail, God is still speaking. Even when the world feels disorienting, He remains our true north. And even when we don't know how to pray or what to say, we are never left to navigate the noise alone.

“Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.” (Romans 8:26, ESV)

Perhaps this feeling of being numb and dumb is less about finding my voice to merely add to the noise, but more about finding my way back to Him again and again to learn to hear His voice more clearly and help others do the same by the way I use mine.

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