Silence
Are you comfortable enough with silence to be grateful for it?
Verse of the Day
‘For God alone, O my soul, wait in silence, for my hope is from him.’
‘Let all that I am wait quietly before God, for my hope is in him.’
Today’s Devotional
There is so much noise in our world. There are constantly things, and circumstances, and people, and devices that are clawing for our attention. Add to that the noise inside our own minds. We live in a cacophony of noise.
For many people, this week will be a week of noise. With travel, preparations, family, friends, and gatherings, the holiday season seems to carry with it a certain lack of quiet. While for others, the lack of holiday festivities may make the noise of the season a reminder of something they lack or desire. Not all noise is bad and not all silence feels good.
How comfortable are you with healthy silence? Does it make the noise in your mind get louder? Does it make you yearn for a distraction, like your phone or a book or the TV or a hobby? Does it make you feel like you should be accomplishing something instead of sitting quietly?
Yet God seems to beckon us to silence. In First Kings 19, after an earthquake, a roaring wind, and a fire, God calls to Elijah in a gentle whisper. My observation is that God desires a personal relationship with each and every one of us, but He chooses not to compete with the noise that we allow to infiltrate our lives.
Today we are going to practice silence and also practice being grateful for the silence into which God is inviting us.
Start by taking a few deep breaths that fill your lungs all the way to the bottom. Next, keep breathing deeply and close your eyes for a few breaths while you simply notice the feel of your heart beating.
As you continue to intentionally slow and deepen your breathing, read these verses with an awareness of the stillness and silence of coming to an awareness of the God of heaven and His love for you.
Be still, and know that I am God! I will be honored by every nation. I will be honored throughout the world. (Psalms 46:10)
The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him; it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord. (Lamentations 3:25-26)
The Lord will fight for you, and you have only to be silent. (Exodus 14:14)
But the Lord is in his holy Temple. Let all the earth be silent before him. (Habakkuk 2:20)
Be still in the presence of the Lord, and wait patiently for him to act. Don’t worry about evil people who prosper or fret about their wicked schemes. (Psalms 37:7)
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. (Isaiah 30:15)
I wait quietly before God, for my victory comes from him. (Psalms 62:1)
The beauty of silence with God is that it teaches us that we are never alone. It reminds us that He is in control. It quiets the noise so that we can hear the whispers of His great love for us. This love is so big and grand that God Himself, in the person of Jesus, died for each of us so that we can be adopted as children of the Father.
As I have been practicing silence, I am learning to be grateful for it. I am honored that God wants to sit with me and teach me how to be loved by Him. He is teaching me to set down my wants and needs and learn how to simply be with Him.
Today, let’s choose to practice moments of silence before God. And let’s thank Him for the silence. Let’s thank Him for the stillness, and quietness, and calm assurances of His love. Let’s be awed by His confidence in not needing to compete for our attention. Let’s wait quietly before God and thank Him that our hope and our victory comes from Him alone.
Journal Prompts
Answer only the questions that seem relevant to you today.
Choose one or more of the verses from today’s reading and write it in your journal. Then try writing it as a prayer in your own words.
Does sitting quietly with the Lord make you aware of His presence? How does your heart respond to being silent with God?
How can you thank God for His desire for you to simply be with Him in the quiet?