“Silence is golden” was the main phrase in a song in my teen years. A mother, a factory worker, a forestry agent, etc. all know how refreshing a time of silence can be. Yet, many people avoid silence with every fiber of their being.
Silence creates a space for us to face the thoughts and intents of our soul. Our negative self-talk surfaces during times of silence and can threaten us with shaming words from people in our past, our guilt over specific sins, the turmoil in our soul that we would rather ignore, discouragement that threatens to overwhelm us, etc.
On the other hand, noise is distracting, puts us on edge, and is irritating after a while. Someone who talks all the time, who never stops to listen, and who carries on a monologue instead of a conversation is hard to be around for very long. We tend to avoid such people in order to maintain our sanity.
Some people prefer to live in a lively city, and we delight in sirens, loud laughter, honking horns, the ruckus of music, songs in businesses, the hours of TV or radio programing that we never turn off, etc. The cacophony and busyness feed our soul.
Others prefer a quiet village or country scene where nature is our constant companion and quietude is commonplace. The forest is a quiet place with leaves rustling in the breeze, two limbs clapping together in the wind, a sprinkling of bird songs, and an animal screech echoing in the distance now and again.
Some people find relaxation amid the green growing things all around us in nature. They enjoy this time for meditation on God’s Word or listening to His voice. This backdrop helps us to silence our soul to receive instruction from the Lord. We find a hope centered in God’s goodness to us (Lamentations 3:26-29).
Silence allows us to take an inventory of the negative thoughts and emotions in our soul (Psalm 4:4), as well as to reflect on our difficulties. This will help us to hope in the Lord as we yoke up with Him during each moment of our day (Matthew 11:29-30; 2 Corinthians 10:4-6).
Prayer:
Father God, You alone are our wise God and all glory and honor belong to You (Psalm 62:1,5). We cannot obey You and follow Your peace in our spirit if we are not silent enough to listen to You (Deuteronomy 27:9; Ecclesiastes 5:2-3, 10:12-14; Proverbs 12:23, 30:32). In silence we can enter Your rest and wait on You to speak to us and to reveal to us Your will in each situation and decision we face (1 Corinthians 14:29-30).
In the silence of the night watches, we come face-to-face with Your divinity (Psalm 63:6, 119:148; Micah 7:16). You are our Redemption and Deliverer (Acts 11:18, 15:12). We give You the reverence that You justly deserve (Habakkuk 2:20). Teach us how to sit still and know that You are our only wise God and Savior (Jude 1:25; Psalm 46:10). We thank You for fighting for us as we remain silent and hopeful before You (Exodus 14:13-14).
Thoughts for the Day:
Prayer is a two-way street, a conversation between us and God. If we do all the talking, we miss out on God’s wisdom and impartation of truth. Sharing in companionable silence with our Father God gives us the opportunity to hear from Him about resolving issues in our soul. Our silence helps us to demonstrate to Him our faith in His faithfulness and encourages us to rest in His love, peace, and joy.
