Noise comes at us from every direction.
Some noise can be helpful: Christian podcasts, worship music, sermons, Christian radio. Other noise can distract us: traffic, home life, work, school. I often hear people talk about filtering the noise. Rarely do I hear someone say they want to silence the noise and actually mean it.
We use noise to fall asleep. To wake up. To learn. To worship. To live our everyday lives.
Just thinking about my own life, the first thing I do every morning is open the Bible App and listen to a reading plan. It is a good habit, without a doubt. But it is still noise.
Many of us seek God through the noise. In the noise.
How many of us can seek God without the noise?
How many of us know how to hear God in silence?
How to Hear God in Silence
This is something I have practiced on and off for many years. Over the past two years, I have earnestly sought the silence. I admitted earlier that the first thing I do every day is listen to a reading plan. During the day, I will listen to another reading plan. But I will also sit in silence for a short time, listening and turning my attention toward the God who is already speaking.
Before going to bed, I walk through my house to pray and listen in the silence of the night.
I’m not saying this to say, “Look at me,” or “Do as I do.” I am saying this because I have learned that hearing God in silence is something I can practice. This may sound like an easy concept. And in truth it is.
For the past four weeks, I have been writing about solitude. How to do it. When to do it. Why to do it. The concepts are there. The ideas are available. It’s not a lack of resources that keeps most of us from hearing God. It is the uncomfortableness of silence.
Let the Silence be Silent
Silence can be unsettling. It can feel like we need to do something, say something.
Sometimes God isn’t asking for more of our words. Sometimes He is asking for more of our attention.
We are good at experiencing God’s presence in a crowded worship service or singing loudly to our favorite worship song. We find meaning in podcasts and sermons. We have deep conversations in small groups and maybe even one-on-one discipleship.
All of those things can be good. But do you hear God without the noise? Not soft instrumental music. Not white noise.
Silence.
Just you, your thoughts, and God.
How to Begin
Can you quiet your inner voice long enough to become attentive to what God is saying?
The simple answer is yes. And the good news is that it is not difficult. The hardest part is finding the silence you need.
My favorite time is after the kids are in bed and the day settles into night. Most parents know the feeling of turning off the TV and letting the quiet house fill your senses.
That is a perfect time to sit and listen. Don’t pull out your phone or rush to bed. Leave the TV off. Close your eyes and turn your attention toward God.
If your mind drifts, let it. Sit long enough for your mind to find its way back to the silence.
Let the uncomfortableness settle in and embrace it.
It doesn’t need to be perfect. It doesn’t need to be long. Establish a rhythm. Let your mind and body settle into this rhythm day after day. When you sit in the silence long enough, you begin to notice something.
The silence is not unsettling.
Being alone with your thoughts is.
Silence doesn’t need to be filled.
Silence is not emptiness.
Silence does not produce an experience. But it does allow your attention to turn toward God.
And if He speaks, the silence allows you to hear Him.