"Even When He Is Silent"

The following words were found written on the wall of a concentration camp in Cologne, Germany following World War II:

I believe in the sun even when it’s not shining.

I believe in love even when I feel it not.

I believe in God even when He is silent.

Norwegian composer Kim André Arensen was commissioned in 2011 by the St. Olav Festival in Trondheim to set these words to music. I only discovered this song in the past week. The St. Olaf Choir, the premier a cappella choir in the United States, sang this piece (in front of the composer) at the Nidaros Cathedral in Trondheim, Norway on June 16, 2013 (watch here).

The hallmark sound of the choir—according to their website—is “securely in tune, controlled in pitch, smooth in delivery…disciplined…and free of excessive vibrato.” Growing up in an a cappella tradition and being a choral tenor all of my life, I understand how difficult it is to achieve this sound. But that sound, combined with the simple poignancy of these timeless words, leaves one nearly in tears.

There is passage in Elie Wiesel’s Night that is particularly chilling (pg. 65 in my bookshelf edition). Wiesel was a Holocaust survivor and awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1986.

It strikes me that the hour is late, the night is dark, and the world is evil. Yet “I believe in God, even when He is silent.”

Dr. Yeager’s reflections on goodness, truth, and beauty and their impact on life, medicine, and theology; what it means to live as male and female reflections of the imago Dei (Genesis 1:27); not intended as individual medical advice.