“I Understand”
Songs that Speak To My soul: When God Speaks Into Your Silence
As we continue our series, I want to share my next song. Smokie Norful’s “I Understand” is one of those rare, sacred songs that doesn’t just play in your ears… it ministers to the soul.
I still remember the first time I heard it. I was in the middle of a storm I didn’t have the strength to name. Life felt heavy. Responsibilities were piling up. My prayers felt unanswered. And my heart felt like it was stretching under a weight it couldn’t bear.
Then I heard a song that literally snatched my soul, the opening line hit me like a mirror held up to my spirit:
“Sometimes I feel like giving up,
It seems like my best just ain’t good enough…”
I wasn’t just listening to a song
I was listening to the cry of my own heart.
WHEN YOU FEEL LIKE GOD IS SILENT
There’s a certain ache that comes when you start to wonder if God hears you at all. When you pray, but heaven seems still. When you call out yet receive no immediate answer.
The lyric continues:
“Lord, if You hear me, I’m calling You.
Do You see, do You care about what I’m going through?”
How many of us have prayed that exact prayer, maybe not with those exact words, but with the same desperation?
The Bible is full of moments when God’s people asked this same question:
“How long, Lord? Will You forget me forever?” — Psalm 13:1
“Why do You hide Your face from me?” — Psalm 88:14
“My tears have been my food day and night…” — Psalm 42:3
Even David, a man after God’s own heart felt seasons of silence. That alone reminds us that feeling overwhelmed or unheard doesn’t make us weak; it makes us human.
THE SHIFT WHEN GOD SPEAKS
But then the song shifts. The tone softens. The melody grows warm. And suddenly, it’s as though God Himself steps into the lyrics and whispers:
“One more day, one more step…
I’m preparing you for Myself.”
Those words carried me.
Scripture echoes the same message:
“The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.” — Exodus 14:14
“I will never leave you nor forsake you.” — Hebrews 13:5
“Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you.” — Jeremiah 1:5
God doesn’t just see what we’re facing
He is actively shaping, strengthening, and preparing us through it.
Then comes the line that still brings tears to my eyes:
“When you can’t hear My voice,
Please trust My plan.
I’m the Lord, I see, and yes, I understand.”
This is the essence of faith.
Faith is not always about hearing God
sometimes it’s about trusting Him in the silence.
Even when we don’t feel Him, God is present.
Even when we don’t see movement, God is working.
Even when we don’t hear answers, God is planning something greater.
This is the heartbeat of Romans 8:28:
“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him…”
HE UNDERSTANDS TRULY
What comforts me most about this song is the reminder that Jesus is not distant from our pain. Scripture tells us:
“We do not have a High Priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses…” — Hebrews 4:15
Jesus knows what it feels like to be tired.
He knows what it feels like to be overwhelmed.
He knows what it feels like to cry out, “Father, why?”
He understands us deeply, tenderly, completely.
Smokie Norful captured that truth so beautifully through this song.
It is a reminder that God is not limited by silence.
He is not late.
He is not overlooking your struggle.
He sees.
He knows.
He understands.
And He is working it out.
Prayer
Father, in the moments when life feels overwhelming and Your voice seems distant, remind us that Your presence has never left us. Teach us to trust Your plan even when we cannot trace Your hand. Thank You for understanding every tear, every fear, and every silent prayer. Strengthen our hearts to take “one more day, one more step,” knowing that You are preparing us for greater things. Wrap us in Your peace, renew our hope, and let Your love carry us through every season.
In Jesus’ name,
Amen