Embrace the Silence

It is good that one should wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord.

─ Lamentations 3:26 ESV

Janna glanced in the rear-view mirror to see her 11-year-old son, Cade, in a deep sleep in the backseat. Remnants of the long, hot weekend and the battle to win the 12 and under baseball tournament held in the next state over, rested on Cade’s sweaty, dirty baseball uniform laying in the floorboard of the passenger front seat.

With still two hours to go on the drive home, Janna leaned back. She resisted the temptation to turn on the radio. Well, it’s just me, my thoughts and you, God, she thought. And we have a lot to figure out, she smiled to herself.

Life’s noise can be earsplitting at times but practicing times of silence can also be uncomfortable at first. We’re so used to the noise that silence can seem awkward. Like our verse in Lamentations, Psalm 37:7 echoes the power and importance of resting in quiet times with the Lord: “Be still and rest in the Lord; wait for Him and patiently lean yourself upon Him; fret not yourself because of him who prospers in his way, because of the man who brings wicked devices to pass” (AMPC).

William Penn said, “True silence is the rest of the mind, and is to the spirit what sleep is to the body, nourishment and refreshment.”

Today’s One Thing

Silence can become neutral ground for balanced mental arguments, an avenue to discovering God’s solutions and intentional listening. Schedule five to ten minutes of uninterrupted time into your day, every day this week. Review at the end of the week and note the impact it has on your peace of mind and relationship with the Heavenly Father.

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