Even When He Is Silent
Aug 23, 2026 | Chancel Choir
Even When He Is Silent
Words by Anonymous
composed by Kim Andre Arnesen
Myers Park Covenant Church Ensemble
MUSIC NOTE
The text of I Believe When He Is Silent was scratched into the wall of an underground bunker system that had been used as a hiding place for fugitives from the Nazi regime. The bunker system was part of a network of safe havens in Cologne, Germany, created and operated by the equivalent of our Boy Scouts. It is said that one of nine Jewish fugitives, who hid in the bunkers for four months, scratched the words on the wall. Kim André Arnesen set to music an English mistranslation of the original poem, which significantly changes the poet’s words. The original is printed below.
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.
ORIGINAL WORDS
Ich glaube an die Sonne, sei es auch dunkel,
I believe in the sun, even in the darkness,
ich glaube an Gott, mag er auch schweigen,
I believe in God, even if God is silent,
ich glaube an Nächstenliebe, obwohl sies ich nirgends zeigen darf.
I believe in compassion, even when it must remain hidden.