Week 2: Making space for silence in your life
For the first few weeks back in the United States after living in China, I’d lay awake with my eyes wide open unable to settle. When the morning came I’d struggle to rustle out of bed. You may be thinking it must have been jet lag, or because I didn’t sleep till late. Truth be told, it was just too quiet. Too still.
The night sounds of China were construction trucks zooming in the back alleys during midnight demolition. Families laughing, dancing and playing in the courtyards while firecrackers shot off all hours of the night. The morning consisted of roosters crowing, the buses’ gaseous sounds with screeching brakes, cars honking in AM traffic, breakfast vendors yelling out their roadside dishes, while children hustled to school. These rather loud, and for some, irritating sounds of life became my soothing background noises. I couldn’t sleep or wake without them.
As we practice silence this week, I am sure we will find moments like this. Changing one habit for another comes with feelings of sacrifice and denial. There is a period of struggle, but if we commit there will be a shifting point where we reach a new normal.
The Gift of Silence a Spiritual Practice
One of my favorite stories in the Old Testament is of Elijah in 1 Kings 19: 11-12. God wants to meet with Elijah and sends him to a cave in the mountains. There is a mighty wind, an earthquake and a fire, but Elijah only recognizes the Lord in a gentle whisper. He knows God speaks in silence, not by mighty signs and wonders; the way we often expect God to reveal His will and ways. I love how this shows how intimate God is when he communes with us. He meets us in our stillness and often mundane circumstances of life.
Jesus practiced this form of intimate communion with the Father. He made space and time to seek silence and solitude in order to pray: to hear from God and discern His will.
As we practice silence this week, I’d like us to look at silence from a perspective of stillness. Let’s find segments in our day where we can pull away from the demands, noises, and voices that distract us from God in order to be quiet and hear the whisper of God. Experiencing silence will help us move toward solitude. When we still ourselves in silence we receive from God. We won’t need to work so hard to know God’s will if we push out some of the loud, unworthy noise that we’ve given space to in our daily lives.
This Week’s Daily Practice
Life Born out of Silence: Consider all the areas in which you spend time listening. Perhaps co-workers, radio, podcasts, social media, children, family members, friends, TV. What is the sum total of these influences in your life? Do they encourage you, depress you, challenge you, frustrate you? Ultimately, are they life-giving by drawing you nearer to God? Are the noises in your life cluttering your ability to hear from God?
This insight from Henry Nouwen gave me pause to reflect. I hope it will for you as you consider what you might need to silence in your life this week.
“The Word of God is born out of eternal silence, and it is to this Word out of silence that we want to be witnesses.”And I love how he continues later to say, “To be silent keeps us pilgrims.”
We are on a spiritual journey toward God. Living with Him, communing with Him alongside others as we are witnesses of His goodness. I hope this is your motivation as you pursue silence this week.
The Way: Silence will help us rekindle our intimate relationship with our creator and Lord, and to hear Him more clearly. Jesus knew how to minister, teach and heal from his moments in silence with the Father. He only did as the Father commanded Him and these moments of stepping away fueled His assurance in his Father’s will.
Seeking silence this week may scare you, but here are some small ways to start.
- Still your soul by reading through a different Psalm each day. Then spend 10-15 minutes reflecting on a few words or a theme. Consider praying or singing it out loud. Perhaps draw a picture that it brings to mind and put yourself in the picture. You can also write a poem or prayer.
- Consider a prayer app. I enjoy Pray as You Go. It’s a free download offering daily reflective prayer as well as various other prayers of contemplation designed to seek stillness in God’s Word. Listen to it in your car, at the gym, waiting in line or instead of a TV show.
- Take a moment out of your day to go for a walk with no music or distractions. Just focus on breathing, or saying your breath prayer from last week, or better yet, nothing at all. Enjoy silence. Enjoy God’s creation spoken into being through His voice in silence.
- Lastly, give up one of the ‘noises’ in your life. Take out social media and replace it with a practice that focuses on God. Instead of listening to music in your car ride to work, drive in silence, invite God into that space. Give up watching TV for the week and clear out the distractions.
We do have space in our lives for silence, but another less life-giving habit must be pushed out.
Community: If you have other ideas, please share them for all of us in the comments section. Share your apprehensions or excitements, or even your goal for seeking silence. Hopefully you will begin seeing changes in your spirit; a calmer, more compassionate version of who God is forming you to become.
Photo: A drawing of Psalm 78 by a dear friend.
