The 24-hour news cycle, the multitude of TV and movie channels, music, smartphones, plus traffic congestion and all the other noises, fill our days and our ears. Oh, the sound of silence seems like a luxury! So much so, do we find ourselves scheduling time for silence?
Certainly, setting aside quiet time is healthy, especially if we want to grow strong in our faith—our relationship with our Lord. Daily prayerful reflection in peace and quiet helps us to stay in touch with our Lord. “Whoever belongs to God [listens to] the words of God,” said Jesus [John 8:47].
Is it too hard to listen God’s Word with all the noise we hear from day to day? Perhaps during this season of Lent, we should make room for the sound of silence. Cut out some of the noise in our lives. What we discover in the silence may amaze us!
Tune In, Tune Out
To tune in to our Lord, we need to tune out the exterior and interior noise. So, first, find space for yourself. Turn off the TV, put away the cell phone, remove the earbuds, then take a deep breath and exhale slowly. Quelling the external noise is easy in comparison to tuning out the internal noise that swirls about in our heads and hearts.
Maybe we do not want to experience the sound of silence. Noise camouflages the fear of what we might learn about ourselves and our relationship with God. Certainly, that causes anxiety and restlessness in mind and heart. However, the Lord quiets us—if we allow him.
By tuning in to our Lord, we pray to him. We converse with him and he with each of us. Let us pour ourselves out to him! “Have no anxiety at all, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, make your requests known to God. Then the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus” [Philippians 4:6–7].
Making quiet time for daily prayer and reflection, I sense the peace that St. Paul refers to in his letter to the Philippians. That does not mean my troubles go away. However, the peace the Lord provides makes those troubles less of a trial.
Listen with Our Hearts
With all the noise in our lives, have we forgotten how to listen? We may hear with our ear, but we listen with our heart. The heart is God’s dwelling place; “the love of God has been poured out into our hearts through the holy Spirit” [Romans 5:5].
Therefore, listening with our hearts, we learn to discern our Lord’s loving presence in our daily lives. “As the holy Spirit says: ‘Oh, that today you would hear his voice, harden not your hearts’” [Hebrews 3:7–8]. Do we hear the Lord calling us to follow him? Are we listening to God’s Word in our hearts?
To grow spiritually and closer to our Lord this Lenten season, let us learn to listen in silence. Silence enables a connection with God in ways that go beyond words. That sound of silence is more than a luxury, it is God’s gift for us to use to develop and strengthen our faith. Amen!
6 thoughts on “Sound of Silence”
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We hear words; we can only listen to silence.
Silence is the language of God.
A silent God can only speak to a silent heart.
Dear Carol, Ty. God my Papa let me lose my cell phone for better part of a week. It was a taste of heaven. Guy, Texas
Tuning out exterior sounds is easier than tuning out the internal chatter in our brains which persists even in silence. The internal sounds are the barrier to hearing the voice of God. This is why we are told to be anxious for nothing in order to get the peace of God that is superior to all of our natural understanding. We need to cast all of our care on God; then, we can have inner silence even with exterior sounds blaring.
Good. I once read a letter in a Christian newspaper that explained that prayer has two parts: We speak to God, and then we listen. This is what Carol explains, and it is a very important message.
Thank you, Carol. I cannot do without my quiet time. It’s my preparation for my day, and to have that, I get up a couple of hours before my husband. I get some coffee, let out my teacup poodle, and then we settle into my study. I read, I pray, I sit.
When the rest of the household wakes up, we all go for a walk. Once again, I have that beautiful silence. The birds squeal, the far-off sound of traffic, the odd passerby I greet, or I give way for someone on a bicycle, but still, most of it is quiet.
I cannot live without this
Thanks again for sharing.