In our day and age many people find silence unnerving. Something about that stillness causes us to think and often face things we have been running from. We try to drown this silence with music, TV, social media and other things. What I’m talking about is not simply silence of background sound but also silence of the mind. A kind of meditation I suppose. In fact, we are called to meditate upon God’s Word to draw closer to Him and to obey his standards. This places us in a better position to hear God.
Look at it this way: if you were in a large room with a crowd of people talking about all different topics and ideas, yet you needed to hear what a friend on the other side of the room had to say, would you be able to? Sometimes our mind is the same way. Constantly bringing up different thoughts and ideas can get in the way of listening for what God has to say.
A way to help clear out the noise is silence and solitude. Reducing the noise, letting your thoughts filter out, and taking the time to be alone with God. If you have to get away from people for a time in order to find that silence, don’t worry, even Jesus took time to be alone in the presence of God. We should follow His example. Even though fellowship with other believers is important, finding time to personally spend with God is extremely important. He just needs us to listen sometimes, and it’s our responsibility to make room for Him.
Blake Gorton is a locally licensed minister at Winfield First Nazarene and a student at MidAmerica Nazarene University.