It’s so very unnatural, being silent. It’s also very unusual.
In this age of technology and information, every part of our lives is inundated with words. Our culture is addicted to words, urgent words, random words, music, amusement, advertising, notifications and voices–so many voices surrounding us, it becomes difficult to know which messages are important and which we need to remember.
Even in our conversations, we want others to be brief, concise, clear, and to the point. One writer commented that, when we decide what we’re hearing is no longer significant, we simply block out what we’re hearing and give attention to our own internal flood of words. Ouch!
In our environments, the absence of words challenges us.
I’ve always been busy. During childhood I heard, “an idle mind is the devil’s workshop”. I’ve never wanted any part of him, so early on, I made it a habit to fill my life with activity, with something to learn or something to achieve. After all, as Christ-followers we live abundant lives, and knowledge is power, and so on and so on.
Those things are true, but when God was teaching me about silence, He showed me His perspective on hearing, knowing and doing. It was a hard lesson to learn, because seeing my busyness through His lens showed me blind spots about myself, things in the shadows that I preferred to keep hidden. I recognized my need to be occupied in order to be useful. I realized I was addicted to constant interaction with others, so much so that my relationships with friends could override my friendship with Jesus.
I will painfully tell you I had an addiction to being seen as one who would point you to Christ. Doesn’t that sound right and good? Yet notice the focus on me–direct competition to giving God time and space for refining His character in me, conforming me to the image of Jesus.
That process of refining me, of bringing me back around to the purity of loving Him first, began with the stark realization of my shadow self and how I so desperately needed Him. He had to move me away from letting the world squeeze me into its mold. His process involved disciplined, set-aside times of sitting before the Lord, listening, hearing. I learned I had to leave behind the frantic activity, the competing demands of my outer world and make space to pay attention to what He would bring to the surface of my inner world, that part of me He calls my soul.
This 64th Easter, on Silent Saturday, God lovingly reminded me of His deep presence available to us in silence.
- In silence, we hear God more clearly. Silence requires the removal of all distracting voices. I can pretty well block out the voices from the outer world, but it’s the voice from my shadow self that suddenly bombards and tends to bog me down. I call her “Natural Nina”, and she is never worth listening to. Sometimes she whispers and sometimes she shouts; all the time, her focus is skewed by the imbalance of emotion. In silence, God’s Holy Spirit gives me the sensitivity to recognize which voices are speaking truth. I remember Jesus promising we know His voice (John 10:4). In John 14:26 He promises that the Holy Spirit helps us to remember everything He has taught us. Aaahh–mazing! Hearing the Holy Spirit overrides the words of Natural Nina. Listening in silence serves to align the emotions of our faith with the truth of our faith. We walk away in total alignment of our eternal beliefs with our daily experiences. I call that a Divine Balance.
- In silence, God takes us to a deeper level of intimacy in our friendship. Jesus refers to it in John 15 as “abiding”. Today we call it connection with Christ, our source of nourishment who sustains and completely satisfies. In silence, we experience the love of Jesus. It quietens the internal noise so we can better listen to God. In silence we become more familiar with Him, much like the time you spend in someone’s home–you come into a familiarity with them that is not possible in a public gathering. Last week a new friend hosted me in her home for breakfast. She served me, loved on me and treated me like royalty. Our friendship deepened because she demonstrated her love in the presence of her home. Friendship with Jesus happens in the same way. Being fully present with Him, we grow, progress and know Him more fully. In fact, the Apostle Paul teaches that this level of intimacy transfigures us “into His very image, as we move from one brighter level of glory to another” (2 Cor. 3:18, TPT). Silence with Jesus makes us more like Jesus. I guess you could say He rubs off on us :)
- In silence, we experience authentic rest. With all those voices talking at once, I feel confused and confronted, pulled in nineteen different directions. But with those voices silenced, I am able to focus in on that One True Voice speaking peace that transcends human understanding. Silence gives us the time and space to internalize what we already know. The words of Jesus seem loud and clear in his promise to relieve us of heaviness (See John 14:27 and Matthew 11:28-30.) In our trust, Jesus builds our faith. Silence with God leads us into a space of security and rest that is supernatural, no matter what our circumstances hold.
Intentional times of silence with God place us on the path to lead us from the obsession with ourselves to the actual presence of God. It can form our lives, even if it doesn’t fix our lives.
I find myself writing this on the sixth anniversary of my Mom’s death. As I look back on that experience, I remember it was in silence before the Lord that I “gave her up” before she actually died. In that silence, I came to a place of trusting Him, knowing He would hold me up in her absence, He would fill the vast hole in my heart when she would no longer be in my life. Six years later, I assure you His supernatural peace fills my heart.
I have found the benefits of silence before God are more often seen in the fruit it bears, rather than the silence per se. This time of leaning into God, listening to His words, loosens my rootedness to the outer world and centers the roots of my inner world like a tree planted by living waters. Roots being nourished by God’s deep source of life make our everydays palatable and peaceful, even during the most difficult parts of life.
If silence is not a regular practice for you, I invite you to begin to develop it and make space for God in your everyday. For me, it was a learned habit, so if you need some direction, get in touch in the Comments section below, and I’ll point you to some helpful resources.
If you practice silence, what secrets can you share to help us enhance our experiences? Shoot us a comment below.
I think I’ll stop talking now and give you an opportunity to reflect in silence!