Place of Silence
The Bible praises the virtue of silence. Proverbs tell us that “where words are many transgression is not lacking, but the one who restrains his lips is prudent” (Proverbs 10:19. And “even a fool, if he keeps silent, is considered wise” (Proverbs 17:28). In the New Testament, James goes as far as to say “if anyone does not fall short in speech, that person is a perfect individual” (James 3:2).
Jesus also gave a strong warning about our speech. He declared that “on the Day of Judgment people will have to give an account for every idle word they have spoken. For by your words you will be saved, and by your words you will be condemned” (Matthew 12:36).
C.S. Lewis in the Screwtape Letters puts words in the mouth of the Devil to show that noise is the friend of the Devil. He states: “Music and silence-how I detest them both! How thankful we should be that ever since our father (that is Lucifer) entered hell, no square inch of infernal space and no amount of infernal time has been surrendered to either of those abominable forces, but has been occupied by, Noise-Noise, the grand dynamism, the audible expression of all that is exalted, ruthless and virile – Noise which alone defends us from silly qualms, despairing scruples and impossible desires. We will make the whole universe a noise in the end. We have already made great strides in this direction as regards the earth. The melodies and silences of Heaven will be shut down in the end”. (2)
The practice of silence does not mean that we have to be constantly quiet and never say anything. At times silence is destructive and painful, for example when we give someone ‘the silent treatment’. To practice the discipline of silence, we must know when to speak, to whom to speak, and the right way to speak
The apostle Paul stated we must speak only about “whatever is honourable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is gracious, and anything worthy of praise” (Philippians 4:8). The Psalmist states: “whoever of you loves life and desires to see many good days, keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking lies” (Psalm 34:12-13).
Since the primary purpose of silence is to help us grow in the love and knowledge of Christ, we must be selective in our conversations and sometimes sacrifice our desire to speak especially if our words are hurtful or destructive.
It is also important to practice silence when we are speaking to others. We do this when we listen to someone. James writes “Let everyone be quick to hear and slow to speak” (James 1:19).
The Place of Solitude
The Gospel records tell us Jesus took significant periods of time away from ministry and -people simply to be alone with God. At the beginning of his ministry Jesus went into the wilderness for a period of 40 days to pray and fast. (Matthew 4:1-11)
Later Jesus taught his followers to do the very same thing. After ministering to the crowds he had the disciples get into a boat and cross over to the other side of the lake where they would be alone away from the crowd and their persistent demands. (Matthew 14:13-33) Jesus knew the disciples needed time alone to allow God to renew them so they could continue their ministry empowered and energized by the Holy Spirit. They needed to “come apart” before they “came apart”.
Jesus also encouraged his followers to be in a place of solitude when they prayed. He said when they were praying they were to go into a closet to pray to their Father in secret. (Matthew 6:1-8)
Henri Nouwen states: “Solitude is difficult for many people, because they don’t know what to do in the solitude. Most of us are used to being very busy and productive but in solitude we seem to do nothing. For those who have used productivity as the basis for their self-worth this becomes a drastic if not radical departure from their way of living. But in solitude we are not completely alone, Christ is with us, and we are deepening our relationship with him.
We enter into solitude first of all to meet our Lord and to be with him and him alone. Our primary task in solitude, therefore, is not to pay undue attention to the many faces which assail us, but to keep, the eyes of our mind and heart on him who is our Divine Saviour. Only in the context of grace can we face our sin; only in the place of healing do we dare to show our wounds; only with a single minded attention to Christ can we give up our clinging fears and face our own true nature. As we come to realize that it is not we who live, but Christ who lives in us, that he is our true self, we can slowly let our compulsions melt away and begin to experience the freedom of the children of God.
Solitude is thus a place of purification and transformation, the place of the great struggle and the great encounter. Solitude is not simply a means to an end. Solitude is its own end. It is the place for Christ remodels us in his own image and frees us from the victimizing compulsions of the world. Solitude is the place of our salvation. Hence, it is the place where we want to lead all who are seeking the light in this dark world. St. Anthony spent 20 years in isolation. When he left it he took his solitude with him and shared it with all who came to him. Those who saw him described him as balanced, gentle, and caring. He had become so Christ-like, so radiant with God’s love, that his entire being was ministry”. (3)
The exercises will provide an opportunity to practice some basic elements of silence and solitude and to discover some of the benefits of the discipline. Initially it may feel somewhat strange and unnatural, but if you stay with it you will come to appreciate and possibility even seek out regular times of silence and solitude. As a word of warning to those who are somewhat extroverted … ‘this will be difficult’. To those who are somewhat introverted … ‘this is a dream come true’.
Practicing Silence and Solitude
Day 1: To Hear and Listen to the Voice of God
There are many voices seeking our attention. In silence and solitude we distance ourselves from some of these voices so we can hear the voice of God.
Elijah stood on Mount Horeb where he heard God speak in a gentle whisper.
“The Lord said, “Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by”.
Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave. 1Kings 19:11-13
Habakkuk, struggling with God’s sovereign plan in dealing with a ruthless nation, stood at the guard post keeping watch to see what God would say to him.
“I will stand at my watch and station myself on the ramparts; I will look to see what he will say to me, and what answer I am to give to this complaint”. Habakkuk 2:1.
Of course it is not absolutely necessary to be in silence and solitude to hear the voice of God, otherwise we would never perceive his promptings in daily life. But there seems to be times when we need to be alone without any distractions so that we can hear God speak to us.
Exercise
1. Find a place that is quiet and free from distractions.
Make this your regular place of ‘sanctuary’.
2. Sit quietly before the Lord and offer this time to God expressing your desire to be with him. Say nothing but just sit in silence
