Stuck in Silence: What to do with Spiritual Paralysis & Spiritual Laryngitis

I have felt a bit confused lately about “my voice” in this really noisy and rather nauseating online world.

Chapter 2 of my Bible study, “CALLED,” was all about spiritual paralysis. Lately, however, I feel like I’ve had spiritual laryngitis. My heart is so full of things I’m learning and ways God is pouring into me, and yet I can’t seem to find words to communicate it all.

I guess in the writing world it’s called “writer’s block,” but this is more than a mental block — it’s an angst with what I’m holding, or rather what I’m beholding. What I’m seeing and experiencing in a world I hardly recognize is adding compounded weight to the burden I feel — It’s a burden so heavy, mere words can’t hold it. Only God can hold it. It was His Son, Jesus, His Living Word that told of it.

“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” ~ John‬ ‭16:33‬

So instead of sharing a lot of my empty words with you, I’ve been doing a whole lot of praying, crying out to him, allowing my heart to bleed freely before His throne of grace, trusting Him with these burdens as I seek His face, trusting His sovereignty in this confusing online space.

Spiritual paralysis can keep us stuck and spiritual laryngitis can keep us silent, but God has a way of moving in our hearts as he moves us closer to His heart. It’s in that experiential knowing God by experiencing His presence that we can be moved to action — free from spiritual paralysis and laryngitis to take steps and share words that will further His Kingdom.

“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, for “‘In him we LIVE and MOVE and HAVE our BEING’; as even some of your own poets have said, “‘For we are indeed his offspring.’” ~ Acts‬ ‭17:26-28‬

“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