Silence

​God’s voice is best heard in silence.

I think about Elijah in 1 Kings 19:11-13. A boy named Elijah is trying to listen for God’s voice. Interestingly enough, he doesn’t hear God speak in wind, earthquake, or fire. Instead, Elijah hears God speak in the silence of a gentle whisper.

If you’re like me, you’re always listening to something. We listen to the loud winds of the news feeds and media. We listen to the traumatic earthquakes happening in people’s lives and in our culture. We listen to the foray of fires in our workplaces and relationships. We don’t need to necessarily listen to anything sinister to find ourselves feeling overwhelmed, cluttered, and busy listening to everything else in life - other than Jesus.

​God’s voice is best heard in silence.

Think about it with me…
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• Jesus’ voice can only calm my anxiety when I slow down and stop while the winds of current life events continue to swirl around me.

 

• Jesus’ encouragement can only affirm my identity when I sit and be still while the aftershocks of life’s earthquakes continue to rumble around me.

 

• Jesus’ direction can only guide my thoughts, choices, and words with others when I hear and understand His Word, not just how to tolerate people through the fires where we live, work, and play.

God sends us silent moments everyday as we prepare to celebrate Jesus’ first advent (Christmas) to declutter our thoughts, stills our heart’s rat race of a rhythm, and gives us confidence in whose and who we are.

The question is, do we take, open, and use God’s gift of silence?

Slow Down and Stop.
Sit and be still.
Listen and Seek to Understand.

My desire to embrace silence in the midst of the winds, earthquakes, and fires around me is really a “heart-thing” than a “schedule-thing”.

The question is, do we take, open, and use God’s gift of silence?

Roman Catholic Pastor, Thomas Keating once said that silence is the expression of our intent to surrender our will to God’s presence and action.

​If I were completely honest with you, it’s easy to choose busyness to feel productive and worth something to others. I listen to the voices in my own head instead of seeking the voice of the One whose second advent is coming soon (Revelation 21:5) and who says I am loved and accepted for who I am, not for what I do.

The bottom line question (for me, and perhaps you, too) is this: do I want to hear Jesus’ voice more than anything else? 

If not - then Jesus’ voice will always be second to the noise and clutter of preparing to celebrate Jesus’ first advent (Christmas).

But, if I do want to hear Jesus’ voice more than anything else, then slowing down and stopping, sitting and being still, and listening for Jesus’ voice will always be a priority until Jesus’ second advent (His Return).

Do I want to hear Jesus’ voice more than anything else? 

For me, in my current season of life, finding an entire hour or even 30 minutes of uninterrupted silence is almost impossible.

And, while I also have my own devotional rhythm, that’s more of a “work pattern” than a personal habit. (That’s part of the reality of the pastor-life… personal devotional life can quickly run dry because you’re always reading the Bible, devotional books, and in prayer for others as “your job”… I’m happy to unpack it more sometime, if you’d like.)

So, here’s what I do… you can join me, if you wish!

I remember this because our area code is 2-5-3.

• Instead of grabbing my phone immediately when I wake up, I take 2 minutes. I lay in bed and say, “Lord, speak, I’m listening” (1 Samuel 3:7-11). Whatever comes to mind, I either commit to memory or write down. Sometimes it’s a word. Other times, it’s a picture. Often, it’s a bible verse. I just go with it. Only 2 minutes.

 

• Then, I take 5 minutes at lunch before reading or launching into the water cooler conversations. I return to that word, picture, or bible verse and again ask God, “Speak, I’m listening”. Just 5 minutes.

 

• Then, before I go to bed, I take 3 minutes. No phones. No music. No podcasts. No reading. Just me in silence asking God, “Speak, I’m listening”. I then write down anything that I feel or am thinking about that word, picture, or bible verse. Just 3 minutes. After the new year, I’ll be sharing some of what God has been placing on my heart and mind the past couple years.

In his book What’s Wrong with the World, G.K. Chesterton said, “Anything worth doing is worth doing badly [at first]”. This was clunky at first. But, over a short period of time, it has become something I can’t live without.

The goal is to consciously and consistently experience God’s gift of silence in order to listen for the voice of Jesus at some point everyday - not to all become silent monks. 

And, how better to prepare for Jesus’ first and second advent (Christmas and His Return) than by getting to know His voice and following Him wherever He leads us?

After all, Jesus Himself is the best Christmas gift we could ever receive.

Anything worth doing is worth doing badly [at first].
- G.K. Chesterton

Where will you find your consistent silent moments each day to say, “Lord, speak, I’m listening.”?