“My soul, wait silently for God alone, for my expectation is from Him” (Psalm 62:5, New King James Version).
Certain restaurants hold little appeal for me, especially when I’m with friends. It isn’t that the food is bad or the price too expensive, but it’s the noise level. I find it almost impossible to hold a good conversation when surrounded by noise. I’ve found myself suggesting, “Let’s go to XYZ restaurant. It’s quieter there and we can talk.” I value time with my friends, and I find no pleasure in leaning across a table, struggling to hear the person across from me.
We live in a noisy world, and it affects us more than we may think. Have you ever said, “It’s so noisy in here I can’t hear myself think”? Noise is distracting and stressful. It really does disrupt our thought processes.
Silence Restores Us
Do you ever crave silence? There is something refreshing and restorative about absolute quiet. We feel our muscles begin to relax as we breathe deeply and inhale the silence surrounding us. Our stress level goes down and a feeling of calm settles upon us. When we allow time in our day for silence, we focus better, feel less tense, and even sleep better at night. Some studies indicate two hours of silence may result in new brain cell growth.
Jesus Sought Solitude
It’s not just our natural bodies that crave silence. So does our soul. Jesus, our greatest example, frequently slipped away from the crowds to find solitude and silence. He could not have ministered effectively without those alone times in prayer. He began His ministry alone in the wilderness with fasting and prayer and faced the end of His ministry alone in prayer in Gethsemane. It was something He sought throughout His life.
- “Now in the morning, having risen a long while before daylight, He went out and departed to a solitary place; and there He prayed” (Mark 1:35, NKJV).
- “So He Himself often withdrew into the wilderness and prayed” (Luke 5:16), NKJV).
We Find God in Silence
Just as we cannot communicate well with friends in a noisy place, neither can we communicate with God when surrounded by noise. True intimacy with God comes in the quiet places. It is there He reveals His heart to us and we learn more of Him. Psalm 46:10 tells us to “Be still, and know that I am God.”
It takes time and patience to quiet ourselves before the Lord, but this is how we learn of Him and from Him. No revelation comes when we are restless or in a hurry. We wait silently, and He speaks things into our soul in a still, small voice.
“Be silent before the LORD and wait expectantly for him” (Psalm 37:7, Christian Standard Bible).
Prayer: Lord, I need the refreshing that comes from shutting myself in with You. As I sit before You in silence, the noise of the world quietens and I hear Your voice. You speak softly to me, and I discover new things about You. You restore my soul and give me strength for whatever the day may bring.
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