“For God alone, my soul waits in silence; from Him comes my salvation.”
Psalm 62:1 ESV
Silence can be unsettling for many of us. I’ve known folks who cannot tolerate silence. Conversation (albeit one-sided) never lags because they never stop talking. When they are alone, they need to fill the vacant air with background noise so that they can function.
It’s as if we are afraid of silence. We see silence as an empty void begging to be filled.
In a culture that demands to be heard and that is focused on gaining attention, we easily misinterpret silence as an invitation to speak. And most of us are more than willing to jump in and start talking even when we have nothing of value to say.
Most of my many years in the corporate world were spent in sales and executive sales roles. Early on, I was sent out with seasoned sales reps to learn the ropes. I quickly learned that a salesperson who never stops talking is highly unlikely to ever make a sale.
When I trained and coached sales executives at all levels, I stressed the value of silence in conversations. Uncomfortable as it may be, especially when beginning the practice, silence is truly golden.
Silence is powerful.
It’s not only golden, but silence is also powerful. When you are quiet, you have a moment to reflect and consider what has been said and what remains to be said.
But more importantly, you create the opportunity to listen. When you are silent, you give the other person the chance to speak. If the silence extends for a few seconds and begins to feel a bit uncomfortable – that’s great! The other person will likely feel compelled to fill the silence. And once the other person begins to speak, your job is to give them your full attention and learn as much as possible.
Enough of the sales analogy, think about your own conversations.
Are there times when you walk away from a “conversation” feeling like you’ve been audience to a monologue? Your role in the conversation was to listen, nod, and make your face appropriately responsive. There was no opportunity for you to contribute to the conversation, no chance to share anything going on in your life, and not even opportunity to verbally respond to what the other person was saying.
What about those times, when you exit a conversation with a dry mouth from talking so much, thinking “Wow, she didn’t have anything to say!” Hmmm, that’s when you need to stop and ask yourself, “Did I ever stop talking long enough for her to get a word in?”
Here’s the thing. We often do the same thing with GOD.
Too many of us speed-read through our Bible reading so that we can check off the little boxes on the Read Through The Bible In A Year schedule. Then we quickly rattle through our prayer list hitting the Four Ns: names (people I’m praying for), needs (things I really need), nasties (sins I’ve got to confess), and niceties (not necessary, but would love-to-haves). Then we sum it up with, “In Jesus’ Name, I pray, Amen.”
We then race into the day satisfied that we’ve accomplished our daily spiritual obligations, never having given a moment to listen to hear what GOD might want to say to us.
Granted, we will all have times when this will be the best we can do. But if this describes your regular devotion routine or quiet time or whatever you may call it, it may be time to reevaluate your process. Seriously, I do congratulate you for taking the time to read your Bible and pray each day, it’s great that you understand the importance of this devotional practice – but this is only a starting point.
Where in the process do you take time to allow for actual two-way communication to take place? Where do you allow for moments of silence so that you can hear from GOD?
Be still and know that I am GOD.
Psalms 46:10
The more conversations that I have with people who say that they don’t hear from GOD – that they never hear from Him, the more convinced I am that one of the primary reasons that people don’t “hear” from GOD, is because they are not listening.
We are so intent on telling GOD what we need, how we need it, and when we need it, that we don’t close our mouths, quiet our hearts, and silence our minds to listen to Him. We read Scripture solely focused on how it applies to us, instead of asking GOD what He wants us to learn from His Word about Him.
But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; His mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness. “The LORD is my portion,” says my soul, “therefore I will hope in Him.” The LORD is good to those who wait for Him, to the soul who seeks Him. It is good that one should wait quietly for the salvation of the LORD.
Lamentations 3:21-26
What does it look like to build moments of silence into your Bible reading and prayer time? Well, it’s going to look a little different for everyone depending on your season of life.
There have been seasons in my life when my quiet times were often conducted while sitting at an airport boarding gate waiting for an early morning flight or in hotel rooms before heading out for a day of meetings. This current season as a writer and blogger allows me to spend more quality time in quiet and familiar surroundings, which is truly a delight and blessing.
If Susanna Wesley, the mother of nineteen, could create her quiet place by covering her head with her apron while sitting on a kitchen chair in the middle of her busy kitchen, surely you can find a way.
For God alone, my soul waits in silence….
Psalm 62:1a
In this verse, the psalmist says that it is his soul that is silent, not his surroundings.
It’s not the location that must be silent, it is your spirit, your mind, and your heart that must be quieted.
And it’s not the quantity of time spent, Bible chapters read, or the fancy words used in your prayers that are important. What is important is consistently spending quality time focusing on and listening to your heavenly Father.
Here are a few suggestions:
As you read a Scripture passage, think through what you are reading. Read it a second time if it really seems to resonate with you. Then sit quietly meditating on the verse(s). Break it down word for word in your mind. Use a dictionary (dictionary.com) to look up words if you’re uncertain of any of the meanings.
Ask God to show you what this verse means. Ask Him to open your eyes to His truth about Himself and about you. Then ask yourself the following questions:
– What does this verse tell me about God?
– What does this verse say about me?
– What does this verse tell me about what I should or should not be doing to grow my relationship with God?
Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for Him.
Psalm 37:7
It is in the moments of quiet when the surrounding noises of distraction have been silenced, when our mouth is closed, and our thoughts are focused, it is then that we can most clearly hear God’s Holy Spirit speak His truth into our hearts and our lives.
Ask GOD to speak to you – to your heart, your mind, and your spirit – in the moments of silence that you carve out for the specific purpose of hearing from Him.
For God alone, O my soul, wait in silence, for my hope is from him.
Psalm 62:5
Learn to practice moments of silence.
Learn to listen in the silence.
Savor the Silence.
The LORD your God is in your midst, a Mighty One who will save; He will rejoice over you with gladness; He will quiet you by His love; He will exult over you with loud singing.
Zephaniah 3:17