Bread for the JourneySample

Silence

The world's noise, which reaches us through various means that are increasingly diverse and impact our lives with greater presence, makes it difficult for us to hear the voice our soul needs. Morning, noon, and night, voices, some louder than others, reach our ears, calling for our attention.

Sounds settle in, seeking to fill the spaces in our life without us realizing that there are other important sounds we need to hear. Our being is thirsty for moments of quietness, of time for silence. Time when our spiritual ears can hear the voice of God, His direction, and His counsel.

King David declared: “Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; do not fret when people succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes.” (Psalm 37:7, NIV) Prayer offers us the opportunity to get away from the world's noises, from the many voices, to focus on God. Silence provides the perfect setting for us to be better receivers of God's voice.

There are believers whose "Christian life" is so busy that they barely have time to be silent before the Lord. They justify themselves by saying that everything they do is to serve Him, so God understands. This is a deception from the enemy. There is no reason why we cannot take time to be quiet and listen to the Lord.

The psalmist recognized the importance of being silent: “I will listen to what God the Lord says, he promises peace to his people, his faithful ones—but let them not return to folly.” (Psalm 85:8, NIV)

Let's look at the example of Jesus, fully dedicated to His ministry of teaching, preaching, healing, miracles, and everything He did. Crowds followed Him, voices of those shouting and begging for attention, time with His disciples—a noisy environment where silence was notably absent.

But Jesus, the incarnate Christ, knew His need to be alone with the Father and intentionally sought the space and time to meet with Him. “Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.” (Mark 1:35, NIV) How valuable that time with the Father was! It was as if everything around was suspended while only their voices were heard in a heavenly conversation.

The noise will continue, the many voices will keep interrupting our lives, so it's up to us to make time for silence to tell Him with confidence, “Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.” “So Eli told Samuel, “Go and lie down, and if he calls you, say, ‘Speak, LORD, for your servant is listening.’ So Samuel went and lay down in his place.” (1 Samuel 3:9, NIV)