These days I find few people who say “silence is golden”.
E.E. Cummings said, “most people are perfectly afraid of silence.”
“We are so afraid of silence that we chase ourselves from one event to the next in order not to have to spend a moment alone with ourselves, in order not to have to look at ourselves in the mirror.” - Dietrich Bonhoeffer
Yet another writer said, “Men fear silence as they fear solitude, because both give them a glimpse of the terror of life’s nothingness.”
While I don’t agree with that writer about a lack of meaning in life, there are times that we can feel like there is a lack of meaning and “nothingness” to our lives.
Why are most people afraid of silence?
As a culture there are many reasons that we avoid silence. Most of them revolve around being afraid to face what’s in our own heart and mind.
When we enter silence, the worst dirt in us will bubble up and muddy the water of our life.
- we begin to replay moments where we were hurt by others
- we fantasize about getting revenge through our words or actions
- we find lustful, selfish thoughts bubbling up
- we stumble on fears and doubts we didn’t know were there
- we compare ourselves to others in an unfair way
- we feel pain, anger and resentment
If this list was the only fruit of silence then I’d advocate for background music at all times everywhere. But thankfully, it is not.
We find the presence of God in Silence.
“We are starved for quiet, to hear the sound of sheer silence that is the presence of God himself.” – Ruth Haley Barton
Silent moments can be the most powerful times of confession.
As we sit in silence with our pain, acknowledging and putting a name to what we are feeling, and choosing to surrender it to the Holy Spirit, the place of silence changes. Instead of being a state of disappointment, self-critique and frustration, the surrender of our hearts enables an offloading of pressure and false expectations of perfection. In the honest moment of quiet and stillness, Jesus sweetly whispers His unconditional love to us.
In silence we can hear the voice of God.
“God speaks in the silence of the heart. Listening is the beginning of prayer.” - Mother Teresa
My goal of sitting in silence with God is not for my problems to be solved or be fixed – my aim in seeking silence is to invite the presence of God to come and fill me. Then He helps me see more clearly the things inside myself and in the world around me.
The longer I sit with Jesus, listen, be kind to myself and allow my soul to rest in His presence, the more the junk in my life settles to the bottom and the water becomes clear again. I’d love to say that all the junk gets removed by Jesus, but it’s not true. Some of the hardship, self loathing, and perfectionist tendencies remain in me, but they are no longer clouding the water of my life. Sure, Jesus CAN remove it all, but sometimes we aren’t ready to release it to Him in trust.
I wonder if sometimes God stays silent until we’re ready to listen?
We are so focused as humans on “doing” and “producing” that we may feel that spending silent time with Jesus is a waste of time. Jesus isn’t worried about our “doing”- He is interested in our “being” with Him.
Finding Treasures in the Presence of God.
“Find rest, O my soul, in God alone; my hope comes from him.” -Psalm 62:5
Andrew Murray, a great prayer warrior and author wrote, “Be silent before God and let Him bless you.”
In this quiet place of silence and solitude God seeks to affirm your true identity, confirm your calling and give you strength.
13 Jesus went up on a mountainside and called to him those he wanted, and they came to him. 14 He appointed twelve—designating them apostles—that they might be with him and that he might send them out to preach 15 and to have authority to drive out demons. - Mark 3:13-15 (NIV)
Notice Jesus wants his twelve disciples (apostles) first to be with him… then send them out to do ministry.
“Prayer is sitting in the silence until it silences us, choosing gratitude until we are grateful, and praising God until we ourselves are an act of praise.” - Richard Rohr
In order to gain the clarity we need, receive revelation from God and leading for our future, we must quiet our hearts in silence, waiting on Him to help.
Taking the Spiritual Life Seriously.
Herni Nouwen summed it up this way, “Without solitude it is virtually impossible to live a spiritual life… We do not take the spiritual life seriously if we do not set aside some time to be with God and listen to him.”
We will be talking about the postures of solitude and silence this Sunday. I’m looking forward to suggesting a 10 step process for entering into a time of silence with God. Next week we will explore how to hear God’s voice in the midst of this break from our busy world.
How do you feel about spending silent time with Jesus?
Our Sunday Worship Service begins at 10:00 a.m. in the Dome.
You can also live stream our 10:00 a.m. service on Facebook and YouTube.
If you missed last week's message Unforced Rhythms of Grace #4 - "Daily Time with God" click here.
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