When Silence Is Unsettling - Word before World

“Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!” (Psalm 46:10, ESV)

“Return, O my soul, to your rest; for the LORD has dealt bountifully with you.” (Psalm 116:7, ESV)

“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28, ESV)

Have you ever opened your Bible during a rare moment of quiet, only to feel like an inner hurricane has let loose? Instead of enjoying the moment of respite, you find yourself craving being busy over being still.

Sometimes, the silence we experience when reading the Word of God is unsettling. Especially during busy seasons, our souls can become so accustomed to noise that we struggle to be still before the Lord.

There are times when I sit down to pray or read God’s Word, and the sound of deafening silence thrashes inside my soul. I crave moments of quiet, but when one comes, I find I’m more comfortable with white noise from the hustle and bustle of my daily routine. The hush of silence amplifies the chaos in my head.

When I can finally be still, all I want to do is get moving again. I’m anxious to silence the thoughts that remind me of everything out of my control. I’m willing to do anything to avoid the questions plaguing my soul or the convictions nagging my conscience.

Maybe you’ve felt this same sense of discomfort. Adrenaline pumps through your veins to help you accomplish what needs to be done, making it hard to linger in God’s Word or still your thoughts to meditate on his truths. Once you finally have a moment to think, your mind is bombarded with questions like What if . . . ?, What now?, Why not?, or Why this? No matter how hard you try, you can’t focus or sit still. You’re craving peace, but instead, you feel stuck, unsettled, and undone.

Silence surrounds you, but chaos stirs inside of you.

This is nothing new to God. His people have always navigated the tension between longing for stillness and balking at it. The prophet Isaiah told the Israelites, “Thus said the Lord GOD, the Holy One of Israel, ‘In returning and rest you shall be saved; in quietness and in trust shall be your strength.’ But you were unwilling, and you said, ‘No! We will flee upon horses; therefore you shall flee away’” (Isaiah 30:15-16).

God urged his people to be quiet, to silence their noise, and to trust in him. But they were unwilling.

And, often, we are unwilling too.

The holy one, the creator of our bones, brains, and bodies, knows what we need. He invites us to return to him, enjoy the rest he gives, and receive his supernatural strength (see Psalm 116:7). His Word calms our souls, transforms our worries into worship, and infuses hope into our hearts. But first, we must be willing to slow down and receive it.

We are like the Israelites—searching for comfort, peace, and rest from something we can physically hold on to. But God, like a father caring for his beloved child, invites us to sit in silence, stillness, and surrender.

Silence strips us of our self-sufficiency and reveals our desperate need for God. Being still before him hurts at times, but it also heals the soul wounds we try to bandage and drown out with noise. Unsettling silence can be a gift from God, a reminder that nothing and no one else can satisfy the ache in our souls.

In the uncomfortable quiet, bring your heart, body, mind, and soul before him, and be willing to receive his rest.