Finding God in the Silence
Thoughts on Quiet, Stillness, and Screens
Here we go again, my mind racing
And I can't seem to win
All these crazy thoughts and feelings
It's like it never ends
Until Your voice breaks through my noise
When was the last time you intentionally sat in silence?
I know that for me, it’s been a long time.
We are so surrounded by noise, distractions, and things that are made to capture our attention that it is incredibly difficult to be still, especially with the presence of screens. I know I certainly am guilty of this, watching or listening to YouTube political debates or listening to music while driving. And there’s nothing wrong with enjoying these things.
But it’s gotten to the point where it’s uncomfortable to not be consuming something. And my phone and computer and the multitude of screens and noise and distractions and advertisements surrounding my daily life are all designed to keep us locked in that cycle of consumption.
It almost feels as though our society has become afraid of silence.
And I get it, I really do. When we sit in silence, especially after so much time spent not in silence, our thoughts can seem deafening. It’s so much easier to distance and distract ourselves from what we’re thinking and feeling.
But stillness is incredibly important. The quiet is good. And God is with us in the silence.
In Psalm 46:10, God tells us to
Be still and know that I am God.
And in Exodus 14:14, Moses tells the people that
The LORD will fight for you, you need only to be still.
Be still, and know that I am God.
The LORD will fight for you, you need only to be still.
These verses can encourage us to take a moment in the silence. Maybe it’s not very long. And maybe we don’t hear from God. But I guarantee you that it’s much easier to hear God’s voice when we’re not surrounded by distractions and noise. God is in the silence, and we can find him there.
A Challenge
This week, I challenge you to find a time to intentionally be silent. Obviously, complete silence probably isn’t possible. However, the point of this exercise is to take a break from purposely consuming noise. Here are some ideas to get you started:
Go on a walk without listening to music
Take one day a week off from screens as much as possible (my family does “screen-free Sundays”)
Sit in intentional silence for five minutes or so before you go to bed
If you drive, try driving to school or work without any music or radio
Read scripture slowly, meditating on a verse or passage
Take a moment of silence in the morning before opening any devices
This may be uncomfortable or unfamiliar the first time you do it. But I’ve found that the more I sit in silence, the more naturally it comes. And, it serves to reset both my mind and body for the rest of my busy day (or relax before bed).
See how it feels. After the first time, I encourage you to try to make this habit. This is definitely easier said than done, but I know that all of use could use a break from the busyness and noise of our world.
Now, I know that this contradicts itself a bit, but here is a great song that actually partially inspired this post. One of my favorite things to do is to listen to it to get me into a good head space before I take part in quiet. I encourage you to give it a listen. QUIET - Acoustic, by Hillside Recording and Diana Trout That’s it from me. I encourage you to drop a comment on what you plan to do this week. If you think that someone else could benefit from taking a quiet moment, consider sharing this post with a friend.
I’ll see you guys later!
Needed this today! (And my family does screen-free Sundays too.)