LEARNING TO BE SILENT SO YOU CAN HEAR FROM GOD – Psalm 62:5

My soul, wait silently for God alone, for my expectation is from Him. Psalm 62:5 

For many of us being silence is not something that we care for. Why? Because, we are constantly on the go and technology robs us of our peace and quiet time, it shortens our time and relationship with God because we are preoccupied with other things instead of focusing our minds on Him. 

So we must ask ourselves:

• God is speaking, but am I listening?
• Are the activities that consume my time and energy those God wants for me? Do I need more periods of stillness and rest?
• Have I shortchanged my relationship with the Lord because I’m preoccupied with other things? 

Many times we are so involved with the activities of this earthly life that we neglect what’s more essential, which are adequate quiet time with God in His Word and in prayer. 

It’s not about having a ritual of quickly reading a chapter in the Bible and offering a short prayer in the car on the way to work, but a dedicated time of uninterrupted silent meditation. 

Psalm 119:15-16 tells us, “I will meditate on Your precepts, and contemplate Your ways. I will delight myself in Your statutes; I will not forget Your word.” When we do this, the truths we learn in the Scriptures are implanted in our minds, hearts, and become part of our life. 

We need to understand that God is constantly working in our hearts and circumstances to achieve His will for our lives. If we ever feel hopeless and forgotten by the Lord, we must remember that even though we can’t see what He’s doing, He is not idle. These quiet times of inactivity may well be the preparation we need for what He has in store for our day and for our future. 

David was a shepherd who learned to know and trust the Lord in silence and isolation. Much of his early life was spent alone with the sheep, and even though he was an anointed king, he was forced to hide in the wilderness for many years (Psalm 78:70-72). During this time David wrote many psalms which give us a glimpse into the depth of his relationship with the Lord. 

The only way we truly get to know someone is in a private setting, and this is true of our relationship with God as well. Church gatherings and Bible studies may broaden our understanding of the Lord, but they can never take the place of intimate one-on-one fellowship with Him. We need peace and quiet to process what He says in His Word, to respond in worship, and to bring all our concerns to Him in prayer. And when we do this, like David, we will discover that these quiet moments with the Lord become our greatest joy. 

Another example of spending time with God is the apostle Paul. He was a devout Pharisee whose life was ordered not only by the Law of Moses but also by a huge number of man-made traditions. Paul was an expert in the Scriptures but failed to recognize his Messiah until he met Jesus on the Damascus road (Acts 9:1-6). After his conversion, Paul spent three years alone (Galatians 1:11-18). During this time of isolation, he was trained to become the greatest advocate and missionary for Christianity. He learned to see his Messiah throughout the Old Testament, and every situation and experience in his life was filtered through the truths of Scripture. That’s why he could rejoice in weaknesses and be content despite pain, deprivation, and persecution (Philippians 4:10-13). 

Praying and reading His Word are some of the many blessings that come our way when we reserve time to be alone with the Lord. When we do this, the Holy Spirit teaches us wisdom, which is the ability to view life through biblical lenses. Wisdom is not learned in front of a television, through social media, or at a sporting event. It’s acquired quietly in our private time with the Lord as He puts His Word into our mind and works it out in our relationships and responses to various situations. 

As difficult as it may be to carve out a period of quiet stillness in our life, the benefits will be worth the sacrifice. Depending on your situation perhaps waking up a half hour earlier would work for you, or if you tend to stay up late, that would be the best time for you. Whatever the circumstance it would be worth developing a habit of spending a dedicated time of your day with God which in time you will realize will be a huge benefit in your life. 

Silence for the sake of silence is not the goal. After all, we aren’t simply seeking an absence of noise, disturbances, and activity; our purpose is to remove every distraction so we can focus our attention on God (Psalm 62:5-7). Instead of only inviting the Lord to join us in the midst of our daily activities, let’s pause for a while and discover the joy and blessings of quiet solitude with our heavenly Father. 

Remember what Isaiah wrote: “You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You” (Isaiah 26:3). 

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