Faith conversations often focus on words, prayer, teaching, Scripture, but silence can be just as formative. Do you see silence as part of your spiritual life? Why or why not?
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In discipleship, I always remember to say “Let the one with the most to say, say the most”. This means “rely on listening”, and practice it. We only learn through listening. We may structure existing ideas through talking, but we only take in new light through listenintg. Listening requires being quiet; listening requires biting our tongue.
KP
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I know there’s a lot of talk in Christian circles about being silent before God to hear His voice. I think the silence has more to do with a quiet mind that isn’t flitting from one thing to another. It doesn’t play into my relationship with God, but I am silent before Him when I’m on a walk. My walk time is prayer followed by silence and in the silence I’m just taking in His creation.
I’ve heard God speak to me. Not often but yes, I’ve heard Him. It’s not at a time when I was looking for Him to speak or even a time when I was deliberately silent. There’s no mistaking His voice and it seems to be said in the heart region. Not audible, but words. I believe that its not up to me to hear Him speak, nor do I have to manipulate with silence to get Him to do so. He is quite capable of speaking to me in any situation.
That’s not really what you asked, but silence and hearing God seem to go together in most people’s minds. There are a lot of spiritual practices in the church and the goal seems to be to have a spiritual experience. I was involved with that once, but put it aside.
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I hear you, and I surely appreciate what you are saying. I receive Your counsel as bathed in wisdom, and faith. I agree with your understanding that “silence has more to do with a quiet mind that isn’t flitting from one thing to another”.
Your assumption about the motives of others may be accurate, that too often silly-saints engage in some practices where, as you say “the goal seems to be to have a “spiritual experience”, forcing The Amighty God into some heavenly engagement that hopes to ease their own discomfort, impress God with their piety, assure them of their lifestyle or their choices, demonstrate self-sacrifice, and/or maybe even elevate them in their own eyes or in the eyes of others. For some it may be all for show, but God is not fooled. Or your assumption that “silence and hearing God seem to go together in most people’s minds” as if it is the practice of silence that motivates God to reveal His mysteries. Your assumptions may be true, I don’t know. You and I probably think this way because we have had these same temptations in our own minds. You are wise to have personally set this kind of pursuit aside (IMHO). I hear your warning that being silent does not force God to speak, or manipulate Him into revealing things to us we would not otherwise get. I wholeheartedly agree. I too live my life with the full assurance that God “is quite capable of speaking to me in any situation.”
There are Christians who practice silence for other reasons; there are Christians who practice silence as an expression of faith, there are Christians for whom silence is a normal expression of worship. Silence can be an outward expression of true dependence, personal weakness, an act of yielding, or simply quietly waiting. Silence can be trusting in something other than your own mouth or your own clever or polished prayers. Silence also speaks to God without words. It is recorded that Job, having endured a great trial did not express self-righteousness, nor did he plead for mercy, but he expressed himself like this:
“Behold, I am vile; What shall I answer You? I lay my hand over my mouth. Once I have spoken, but I will not answer; Yes, twice, but I will proceed no further.” (Job 40:4-5)
Silence is the logical posture of anyone before a highly respected judge, or in the presence of majestic royalty. Silence before God is normal; silence is a normal expression of respect, willing obedience, and subservience. It is the posture of Esther, as she “put on her royal robes and (silently) stood in the inner court of the king’s palace, across from the king’s house, while the king sat on his royal throne in the royal house, facing the entrance of the house.” (Est 5:1) I believe any Christian who has a healthy respect for the Ultra-grand Exalted Majesty of the Only Almighty God of All Creation cannot help but “put their had over their mouth”, bow in silent homage and wait quietly in the stillness and fear of awe.
Following fourty days of fasting…
… Elijah went into a cave, and spent the night in that place; and behold, the word of the LORD came to him, and He said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” So he said, “I have been very zealous for the LORD God of hosts; for the children of Israel have forsaken Your covenant, torn down Your altars, and killed Your prophets with the sword. I alone am left; and they seek to take my life.” Then He said, “Go out, and stand on the mountain before the LORD.” And behold, the LORD passed by, and a great and strong wind tore into the mountains and broke the rocks in pieces before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake; and after the earthquake a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire; and after the fire a still small voice. 1 Kings 19:9-12
Blessings
KP
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1 Kings 19:11-13
11 “Go out and stand before me on the mountain,” the Lord told him. And as Elijah stood there, the Lord passed by, and a mighty windstorm hit the mountain. It was such a terrible blast that the rocks were torn loose, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake.
**12 **And after the earthquake there was a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire there was the sound of a gentle whisper.
**13 **When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his cloak and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave.
And a voice said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”…/NLT
Silence before the Lord is certainly part of my life. Every morning. No noise, computer, TV, Phone, music, no noisemakers to distract. During this time I don’t pray or ask for things or ask questions, even silently. Just focus on the Lord with an spirit open to receive.
The Lord will not speak to you as thunder from a cloud nowadays. He has a still small voice. If anything is on, then most times I can not hear Him.
The best of friends are friends that we don’t even need to talk to all the time. Just being in each others presence. When we are in His presence and open to receive, this is the time when He can get in to us and work on us inside. So, like it says, Be still and know, that He is God.
Peter did this once! When he walked on water. When Jesus said come on down I KNOW that he lowered himself over the side of the ship intently staring at the Lord! And Peter was looking right into Jesus’s eyes when he committed his weight to the water! Am I right?! And then he got distracted by the wind and the waves so glanced away from Jesus…and Peter began sinking immediately! This is why silent, no distractions! I suggest 1 hour per day in silence before the Lord. (Good question!)
Sure thing Brother, it is absolutely about having a clear mind. That’s harder than ever to do nowadays, lol. How many times have you listened to a song in the evening and then woke up the next morning with that song playing in your head?! What we allow our brain to intake, scrolling, TV, Videos and lots worse ones. That which goes into our mind leaves a residue there. I think that must be why scripture says, meditate on the Kingdom of God day & night, because then it is easier to cast thoughts down to the obedience of Christ. The more you entertain dark thoughts the more dark you become. The more you ponder and meditate the Lord and His Kingdom, the more light you become.
2 Corinthians 10:5
**5 **Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;…/KJV
The Lord taught me that the more secular entertainment you watch, the harder it becomes to hear His voice.
Philippians 4:8
**8 **Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things…/KJV
**8 **And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise…/NLT
…Think on these things…! When you do this, it increases your attention span and keeps your spirit postured towards the Lord. I try to make the very first thing of the day to be with the Lord, and the last thing of the day before I go to sleep. That way, tomorrow morning the residue is godly and not worldly.
I wouldn’t say that, He taught me that He speaks constantly to His people, day and night. It’s can we hear Him or not and this is done by us meditating and praying and reading the kingdom of God so much that it bring our spirit into, tune with His Spirit. Thus we become sensitized to His presence and His voice. It is our doing that we discipline ourselves and guard what we allow into our mind through the gateways of our eyes, and ears.
It says in Job that in the night hours His Spirit bears witness (talks to) our spirit. And of course He talks to us all day long too, as you know. The Lord is waiting on US to do this for ourselves.
I admit, I do watch some secular entertainment. But a lot of it I wont watch. And I try to balance it but keep it on God. Like fist I’ll watch some teaching videos and after that perhaps play some hymn videos then after perhaps a Faith based movie. There’s most of a day right there! I like old Westerns so sometimes I watch an episode of the Rifleman or Bonanza. But the point is to wake with God, and to sleep with God.