the need for silence

"truly my soul silently waits for God; from Him comes my salvation.

my soul, wait silently for God alone, for my expectation is from Him."

psalm 62:1, 5

i love that david had to remind himself to keep quiet, because silence isn't something i naturally seek either. with all the avenues of entertainment, it's honestly really hard for me to choose silence over noise. silence often feels lonely; it often feels weird and uncomfortable because we're so comfortable and used to the voices of others... even right now i'm listening to music while i type this!! [insert blushing/embarrassed emoji] ....and now i'm sheepishly clicking 'stop'. see!! i can't even write about silence without struggling to keep silent! i'm forever grateful for God's patience with this hyperactive heart of mine. sheesh.

our hearts and minds are constantly filled with thoughts and plans and distractions and praise [clearly]. it's all a jumbled noisy mess inside - all that's peaceful fights against all that's distracting. encouraging thoughts war against discouraging thoughts. feeble prayers war against ever-present sin and temptation.... and in the most chaotic of moments, i usually turn to writing in an attempt to release some of the noise. fragments of thoughts and incomplete sentences fill my journal, and by the end of these scribble sessions, the noise has subsided because i've finally taken my eyes off what's going on in my heart and onto Jesus - who can always be found in quiet places.

isn't that something we so often forget?? Jesus loves solitude with us. He desires those quiet intimate moments of refreshing... where we've run out of things on our list and finally sit quietly, waiting for Him to speak.... gosh, how often do i wait patiently for Him to speak? not nearly enough. oh, i'll chatter all day long to God - "help me with this, help me with that, show that person they're wrong, intervene here, heal so-and-so" - and of course, God loves when we share all that's on our hearts, but we forget that He, more importantly, should have a turn to speak. i want to listen to Him as much as He patiently listens to me.

...and sometimes, even when i shut my mouth and make room for Him, He chooses not to say anything. sometimes He'll be silent too. His voice isn't "on-demand" like my favorite shows on hulu or music on spotify. i think He allows silence for our own good... so that we'll learn to trust without hearing and walk without seeing.... so that we'll learn to submit to His timing and not ours. His silence then is rich in love and lessons, just like His word. so whether He chooses to speak volumes to us today, or chooses to keep silent, let's accept both with rejoicing because both have their purpose and both are for our best and both are for His glory.

praying our hearts find rest in that lovely silence today!

xo,
ash