We live in a world full of noise. A person can barely find anywhere that is truly quiet. From the doctor's waiting room filled with obnoxious 'canned' music, the mall, or the nice restaurant down the street, it seems that everywhere is filled with noise. If it isn't musical noise it's people talking. YouTube videos, TikTok influencers, news show hosts: you can almost never escape the chatter, buzz and hum of some kind of sound.
The Discomfort of Silence
In fact, some of us feel more comfortable like this. Often I have heard people speak about not liking too much quiet. They don't like quiet because they don't like the thoughts that intrude into their mind when it's silent. The way to avoid some of these unpleasant inner thoughts is simply to drown them out with noise.
Noise: A Tool of Distraction?
Sometimes I wonder if all this noise, this cacophony of sound, is just a tool that Satan uses to keep us from hearing our Lord. If we never have quiet, how can we hear Him? Isn't it strange that the world so feels the need to fill up quiet spaces with noise? Maybe for a change we should purposely have quiet time with God. Truly quiet. Ask Him to speak to you. Not necessarily in an audible way, but to your heart. Ask Him to make known His truths to you. To help you really hear and understand His word.
The Coming Silence
What would silence be like? True, absolute quiet? Can you imagine it? There will come a time when all the earth will be silent. Habakkuk 2:20 says, “But the Lord is in His holy temple. Let all the earth keep silence before Him”. Both the nations that know Him and the ones who do not, the people who are His and those that do not—"all the earth" will keep silent in awe, wonderment, and submission. As Matthew Poole says, "but the Lord",
"He is Jehovah, fountain of being, life, power, and salvation to His people; He can do all He will for or against a people."
This truth explains why the earth will be silent before Him and awed by His greatness and power.
Scriptural Calls to Quietness
In Isaiah 30:15, the Lord says that quietness and trust will be your strength. David tells us in Psalm 62:1, "For God alone my soul waits in silence; from him comes my salvation." And in Psalm 46:10 the Lord tells David to "be still and know that I am God." Over and over the Word of God emphasizes the importance of being silent before Him.
Why Silence Matters: Welcoming Spiritual Growth
What is there about silence and quiet that is so important? When you were a child your parents may have told you, "Hush, stop talking, I need you to hear me." If some danger was around your parents might have said, "Be quiet. Listen to me and I will keep you safe." In school, we had to be quiet to listen to important information from the teacher. When anyone speaks in an official capacity in a courtroom, silence is demanded. Why? Because important facts are being shared and people have to be able to hear. Oftentimes, the more important the message, the more important the silence is. Why silence matters is because when we welcome quiet we experience spiritual growth.
Silent Trust in God's Protection
This lesson can also be seen in Exodus 14. The Egyptians are chasing the children of Israel. The children of Israel are terribly afraid but then in Exodus 14:14 Moses tells them, " The Lord will fight for you, and you have only to be silent." (ESV). Just hush!
Hearing God's Still Small Voice
We also need to learn to be silent when the Lord speaks. Of all the voices we hear it is His that is most important. Psalm 62:5 says, "For God alone, O my soul, wait in silence, for my hope is from him." and in Lamentations 3:26, "It is good that one should wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord." The Lord expects us to be silent so we can hear what He needs to tell us. The Holy Spirit won't be shouting above the noise we surround ourselves with. He will be speaking in a still-small voice, like a whisper (1 Kings 19:11-12). Just as we must learn to wait in silence to hear God's still-small voice, silence also holds great significance in Heaven.
The Silence in Heaven
The silence in Heaven spoken of in Revelation 8:1 is incredible if you can imagine it. The angels who praise the Lord, the elders who throw down their crowns and all the others who attend our great God, will, for thirty minutes—stop, as the seventh seal is opened. In silent anticipation for what is about to happen there will only be quiet in Heaven. It is as if all of Heaven holds their breath anticipating what is about to come.
And then, after the silence, the mighty seven trumpets of judgment are sounded against the earth. From the awe-inspiring silence in Heaven to the quiet reverence of holy communion, silence plays an important role in deepening our relationship with God, allowing us to hear His voice and experience His presence.
The Quiet of Holy Communion
One of the blessings of Holy Communion is silence. The church is quiet, the people are quiet. There is an expectant reverence that can almost be felt. There is a realization in this quiet that we are all one with our Lord. We are the family of God. In this quiet awe we often have a profound sense of our weakness and our great need for Him whom our soul loves.
The Blessing of Silence in Relationships
Silence and quiet can also be a blessing in our relationship to others as well. Our silence can prevent quarreling (Proverbs 11:12). Proverbs 17:27 tells us that a knowledgeable person "uses words with restraint". Ecclesiastes 3:7 explains that there are times we should be silent. James 1:19 reminds us of the importance of being quick to listen, but slow to speak.
The Example of Christ and the Martyrs
Our Lord was an example of this. He was silent before His accusers (John 19:8-9) and in Isaiah 53:7 it was prophesied that He would not open His mouth, but be like a lamb led to the slaughter.
About 110 AD, Ignatius, Bishop of Antioch, was accused by the Romans of refusing to worship Roman gods. Before he was torn apart by lions in the Coliseum, he did not defend himself, but instead remained calm and focused on Jesus. In the face of our storms are we calm and quiet? Is our focus on Jesus?
Reflection and Stillness
Silence can unlock feelings that we have never experienced before. Quiet can be a time, not just for self-reflection, but for reflecting on the One in whose image we are made. How can we serve Him better? What does He ask of us? How can we grow in our knowledge of the
Creator of the universe? What is this love that He offers me so unconditionally? Be still and listen.
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