Silence

"Let us labor for an inward stillness,

An inward stillness and an inward healing,

That perfect silence where the lips and heart are still

And we no longer entertain our own imperfect thought and vain opinions,

But God above speaks in us,

And we wait in singleness of heart,

That we may know His will,

And in our silence of our spirit that he may do His will,

And do that only..."

- Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

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Silence makes so many people uncomfortable. It makes us uncomfortable because it forces us to delve inside all of our hopes and fears and face them head-on. Silence makes us aware, it makes us think and confess. It is a rare thing to be silent in 2012. We like the company of a friend close-by or the constant ring of our cellphones indicating a text or incoming call to remind us that we are thought of or loved. I have to admit, I have a hard time with silence. Yeah, I spend a lot of time alone at coffeehouses writing and reading, but even then, there is usually the quiet hum of music in the background. Last night at work, while we were closing, the visual team came in to finish arranging the new floor-set. Usually while closing, we don't have any music playing- only the sounds of each others voices or the sound of metal hangers sliding across the racks. But since the merchandisers were planning on being there until about four in the morning, they decided to set up a boom box. It was so nice having music to close to and made the time go so much faster. But why is this? Why do we feel a constant need to fill the quiet with noise? Why are we so scared of silence? Are we scared to hear God's voice? Are we scared of what He might say to us?

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I had a conversation with someone once who never really took time to hear the voice of God. Finally, he prayed that God would speak to him. God did speak to him, but when he heard the voice and heard what God wanted him to do... he got scared. He wasn't ready and willing to listen to what God was telling him to do. He wanted God to speak, but only to speak things that he wanted to hear. I think this is probably why so many of us avoid silence- we don't want to be spoken to. We are scared to risk losing all control over our lives. We want God, but don't want him to have it all.

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It all comes back to trust. Here I am again, writing about trusting God. I guess I write about it, because it is one of my biggest struggles and I have to constantly remind myself I am not in control. If I'm going to really let God speak to me, I have to be ready and willing to hear anything he has to say. I can't hold back, I can't bargain with God, or only give him a little bit of this and a little bit of that. No, I want God to have it all... as hard as that might sound.

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"No wonder it's easy at times for us females (and males) to approach God and try to bargain with Him. In our hearts, we know that He knows what's best for us, yet we tend to be concerned with what the whole "deal" looks like. Sometimes the fear of not knowing everything He has planned keeps us from giving our dreams to Him. We may not say these words, but we may be thinking them: God, I'll do this if You'll do this. I'll give You this if You'll give it back to me the way I want it. He's the Lord of the universe, yet sometimes we act as if we can manipulate Him! But God already knows our human ways. And He wants more than that when we approach Him in prayer." (PURE, Bargaining With God by Rebecca St. James)

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So 'What's it gonna take to slow us down, to let the silence spin us around? What's it gonna take to drop this town? We've been spinning at the speed of sound.'

Whatever it is that will make you turn off the stereo, the TV, the cellphone, the computer, the iPod or anything else that hinders you from being still in silence- find it and embrace it, because "The world will confuse you. Silence will speak more to you in a day than the world of voices can teach you in a lifetime. Find silence. Find solitude- and having discovered her riches, bind her to your heart." (Find Solitude, Come Away My Beloved by Frances J. Roberts)

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"Word of God speak

Would you pour down like rain

Washing my eyes to see

Your majesty

To be still and know

That you're in this place

Please let me stay and rest

in your holiness

Word of God speak."

-mercyme

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