The Gift of Silence
Have you ever noticed when there’s a lull in the conversation some people tend to get uncomfortable and fidgety? They start babbling trying to take up the silence. Sad to say, I’m guilty of that, but I’m learning. My husband enjoys silence. We spend many evenings just being silent with each other, but in a good way. Thanks to him, over the years the sounds of silence have begun to resonate well with me.
More and more I’m learning to listen for the voice of the Lord in the stillness and silence, free from distractions and cares of this world. What a gift silence is. To be still… and to know that…He… is… God.
Several years ago I meditated on passages of Scripture regarding the gift of silence. Here are some of the words the Lord spoke to me in the silence through these verses. (Psalm 46:10; Zechariah 2:13; Zephaniah 1:7 & 3:17; Psalm 131:1,2 & 113:7)
How do you respond to silence? Do you look at it as a gift or an awkward moment?
Are you afraid of stillness?
Does quietness alarm you – remind you of your aloneness?
Perhaps that is why your life tends to be so noisy,
and you think yourself brash,
like a thrashing mule at times.
I want you to be silent before Me.
I want you to listen diligently to the quiet.
Be still.
Hush.
Know that I am God.
Can you pierce the heavens with your noise?
Can you trample your way into My eyes with your pleas and promises?
I have seen you.
I have known you without a sound.
My silence is perfect communication issuing from My holiness.
It is My sigh of love,
My bond with you through My written Word and My Spirit.
You were formed as the final work of My creation,
an act I performed in silence
with a breath.
You are My sigh,
My heart,
My breath.
Will you not hush, still your pride, and stop your racing thoughts?
Will you cease from involving yourself
in matters that do not pertain to you
and problems too great for you?
Hush! Compose and quiet your mind.
Let your soul rest as a weaned baby rests
against the quiet circumference of a mother’s body.
I am your God, and I am with you.
I will save you, don’t fret.
I rejoice over you with great gladness,
Let my love silence you
and listen as I sing over you a song of My love.
Listen to the stillness,
where no calamity can reach,
where human plans cannot rule,
where the needy personality is lifted from the ash heap
as if on wings of a dove to a holy place
away from the stormy winds of daily cares
and the continual flux of human motion.
Enter into yourself and listen to the stillness of
My life deep, deep, deep….in you.
Marsha – I feel such a sense of peace and calm after reading your post. I love the quiet and stillness, especially in the middle of the night or early morning hours and especially outdoors in the country. As an introvert, I crave solitude. I’m not very good at being still for God though. I’ve been working on this for a long time. Thank you for your inspiring and thought-provoking words. May God bless you!
Thank you, Jenny. The biggest challenge for me is the discipline to stay focused on Him in the silence. As long as I’m reading Scripture or doing the talking I’m alert. But as soon as I become the listener my mind wants to wander. I’ve taken up visual journaling to help me express what He’s doing and speaking into my life.
What a beautiful post,Marsha! My husband also enjoys the quiet and I am learning to enjoy it with him. I have come to enjoy being quiet before God or not talking as much. I love quiet mornings and nights too. Thank you for sharing!
Quiet mornings, watching the sunrise, and again late at night after hubby’s gone to bed and the house is totally quiet. THose are my favorite times.
I enjoy silence. My favorite part of the day are the early morning hours when I am up by myself. It is the time where I can fill with His peace before heading to the office that is filled with noise.
Iris, I like what you said about “you can fill with His peace.” We recently moved. When the rooms were empty, there was nothing there to buffer the sound. Every noise was magnified. But as soon as we begin to fill the rooms with furniture the noise was absorbed and the rooms became peaceful. Thanks for triggering that thought!
Such a lovely post my friend.
Thank you, my sweet Denise! You are loved and accepted in our Beloved.
Marsha, please tell me more about visual journaling and journaling in general. I keep hearing people talk about journaling, but I have no clue what to do. Thanks.