Meeting God in Silence and Solitude

Greetings Brothers and Sisters in Christ at Pax Pres, and to all people,

This week, I wonder how comfortable you are with silence, stillness, and solitude.

I personally enjoy quiet. But I’m the first to admit that once I actually sit still, it can take quite a while to actually get “quiet” in my mind, heart, body, and soul. 

If you follow this blog, you’ve seen how wordy my prayers can be! But God also calls us to “Be still, and know that I am [He is] God.” (Ps 46:10)

If sitting like a monk for hours on end in total silence sounds unbearable or logistically impossible for you, you can still pray and be with God in silence.

Two years ago, author Pete Scazzero challenged my silence-averse spiritual life to start small. 

    1) I find five minutes each day where I get away from people, noise, calendar, etc. I set a five minute timer. And I just sit. When the timer goes off, I might linger a little longer; or I say something simple like “Thank you, God” and go on with my day.

    2) When my mind begins to wander - as it always does - I “bring myself back to attention” by reciting a short verse silently in my mind. As soon as I wander again, I recite the verse again. Eventually I’ve built the habit of being able to get quiet more easily. Verses that help re-center include:

        “The Lord is my shepherd...” (Ps 23:1a)
        “The Lord is in His holy temple, let all the earth keep silence before Him.” (Hab. 2:20)
        “Be still and know that I am God.” (Ps. 46:10)

Scazzero says this:

“The goal of spending time in silence is not necessarily to hear from God but to be with God. When I spend time in silence, I am not looking for guidance, though it often comes. However, I do find that God says a lot when I am quiet!…Silence and stillness with God are a foundational practice by which we actually position ourselves for God to do His transformative work in us.” (Quoted here: https://battlefieldministries.org/be-still-and-know/) 

When’s the last time you truly had five minutes of quiet, not just on your own, but intentionally with God? It took me months to get comfortable with this habit, but now it’s an essential part of my life in Christ. Start small and join me. I’d love to hear from you if you try it - what you find; what’s good, what’s hard, other ideas for silence and solitude, etc.

Humbly in Christ,
Pastor Matt