Silence

Silence

For God alone, O my soul, wait in silence, for my hope is from him.

MY AUNT LIVES ON a dusty gravel road that curves gently through woods and farmland. As a child, I loved jumping on hay bales in the fall, hearing the jingling of bells as my uncle readied his big Belgians for a winter sleigh ride, or packing into the hot backseat of a car to go for a swim at the lake. The country had a quiet beauty. Even though the wind whispered through the trees and crickets sang outside, with no traffic for miles, the air held a silent stillness.

Looking back, that silence is just as memorable as the sleigh rides and hay bales. While noise can affect our stress levels by raising adrenaline and cortisol, silence can relieve tension in just two minutes. Silence lowers our blood pressure and increases blood flow to the brain, and periods of silence throughout the day have been found to help decrease insomnia.

Silence is essential, yet many of us seem uncomfortable with it. Several years ago, researchers conducted a study in which they left the participant alone in a sparse room for no more than fifteen minutes. During that time, the person had nothing to do, but they could push a button and shock themselves if they wanted to. An astonishing 67 percent of men and 25 percent of women chose to push the button and shock themselves rather than sit quietly.^a As people used to the constant hum of modern society, we have become uneasy with silence.

Silence is not only important for our health, it’s a gift from God. Silence gives us the opportunity to meditate on God and his work in our lives. It helps provide mental clarity to face our problems and the space we need to pray. Silence is an opportunity for us to practice stillness and to listen to God’s voice. Rather than an empty space, it’s a direct pathway to intimacy with God, who meets us there. When we choose silence, it can become a holy hush—filled with awe—that focuses on our gracious God.

Lord, thank you for silence. Help us to see it as a positive opportunity to meet with you. Amen.

-Kristin

One Good Step: Find a time to be silent. Turn off or set aside all distractions, and find a quiet spot to simply sit for at least five minutes.