Silence is freedom from words, others’ words and our own talking. Freedom from sounds. "There’s a time to be silent and a time to speak” (Eccl 3:7) Sadly, we’re mostly addicted to noise and allergic to silence. You rarely find any person who has made great progress in the spiritual life that did not have much time in solitude and silence. (Dallas Willard)
Why Silence? Two reasons. The first one’s easy: you can’t talk and listen too. A Disciple must learn to hear God, and he mostly whispers (1 Kings 19.1-12). The other reason? If we experience something beyond amazing, we’re often speechless. There’s no words to express emotion, just Wow! then silent wonder.
Meeting God starts with Silence. Be still in the presence of the LORD, and wait patiently for him to act. (Ps. 37.7a). Our life is jammed with passions, distractions, anxiety. Voices call out to us, commercials entice us. Silence breaks the grip of culture on us and grounds us into God.
Nuts and Bolts: Practice for a week, shutting outside sounds off for part of an hour. No cellphone. No txting or tweeting. No emails. No conversations, just silence before God. Take his Word – perhaps 5 Psalms a day – and listen as you read. Extend it to a month.
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