Quietness is Strength
How good are you with quietness?
Verse of the Day
‘This is what the Sovereign Lord, the Holy One of Israel, says: “Only in returning to me and resting in me will you be saved. In quietness and confidence is your strength. But you would have none of it.’
Today’s Devotional
Some people love quietness. I am not one of those people. I like there to be background noise or music at all times. Recently, God has been using verses like this one to teach me the value of being quiet. And quieting my mind to focus solely on God.
Looking at today’s verse, there are four things that God suggests: returning to God, resting, quietness, and confidence. I think all four of those things are worthy of our time and attention. But for today, let’s focus on quietness.
What does it mean to be quiet? It is more than just not talking. I am learning that there is value in being intentionally quiet with God. What if we took the time to just be with God, without asking for anything, without music, without expectations? What would that look like? First, I think we need to acknowledge how uncomfortable it will be when we try this.
What are all the different ways that we could potentially be quiet before God?
- Physical quietness: Literally sitting, with no music or other noise, with our body still, being fully open to God. This might be described as mediation or centering prayer.
- Mental quietness: An intentional redirection of our thoughts to God. Maybe using a short verse like “Be still and know that I am God”. This practice might be used in combination with physical quietness, but not necessarily. You could have a time of mental quietness while on a walk. It is choosing to shut off the “monkey mind” of normal thinking and have your thoughts quiet before God.
- Financial quietness: Choosing to have a period of time where no money is spent on anything other than BASIC needs.
- Schedule quietness: Having a day, or a certain period of time with nothing scheduled. Intentionally saying “no” to anything extra for a period of time.
- A Quieting of comforts: What if we went for a day without the things that we use to comfort and soothe us? Things like coffee, or sugar, or television, or books. Then as we crave those things, we recite this version of Psalm 23:1, “The Lord is my shepherd, I have all that I need.”
- Quietness of influence: Choosing to have no television, internet, or social media influence in your life for a period of time.
I am sure there are many more ways that we can choose to “quiet” ourselves, but I think the main point is intention. We don’t have to work for the noise. It just happens, whether we like it or not. We have to make a choice to have quietness. And it is uncomfortable. And that is ok. Choosing any kind of quietness to draw you closer to the God who loves you is a beautiful choice. According to today’s scripture, quietness is strength.
Journal Prompts
Answer only the questions that seem relevant to you today.
How comfortable are you with being quiet?
What kind of “quiet” makes you uncomfortable to think about trying?
Which type of “quiet” from the list are you willing to try?
How can God access your heart through your quietness?