Let none disparage the benefits of silence; for unless they grow lax, the secluded live better than the social...

  - Columbanus, Letter to Certain Bishops, Irish, 7th century

Contemporary believers are a busy, noisy lot. We like activity and we like it loud.

We are constantly on the move or sitting in front of noisy forms of technology, busying ourselves with whatever duty or distraction we have chosen to occupy or entertain us for the moment. We’re not much on silence.

Yet God calls us to silence (Hab. 2.20).

In silence God is able to speak to us, to make Himself known and show us His glory, weighing on us by His awesome presence and bringing us into participation in Him, where we shudder with delight.

In silence the Spirit can make clear the meanings of difficult passages of God’s Word, as He brings to mind Scripture from here and there to shed light on the unclear text that puzzles us.

In silence the Lord searches our hearts and brings us to confession and repentance.

In silence the Spirit prompts us to plan the good works for the day which will touch others with the grace of God.

In silence we contemplate the majestic beauty and greatness of the Lord and hear our hearts and minds echoing the voices of the unseen realm – “Glory!”

Silence is the great meeting ground where earth and heaven, the seen and the unseen, the temporal and the spiritual meet, mingle, and merge. But silence takes time, and learning to practice silence before the Lord can be a difficult challenge for a people accustomed primarily to busyness and noise.

But you’ll never know what you’re missing in the silence until you learn to go there and wait, and wait, and wait for Him Who, from the silence, can work transforming grace and power into your life.

In the silence we can partake of God, and if partaking of God were more of a priority in our lives, finding the time for silence would be no problem.

Do you have the inclination to wait in silence before the Lord, as He commands? Will you make the time?

Psalm 46.10, 11 (St. Chrysostom: “We Have Not Known Thee As We Ought”)
Rest in the Lord and be at peace, all who are mired in sore travail;
Lift up our God, praise Jesus our Lord; proclaim to all the earth His Word!
God is our stronghold, never to fail; thus may our hope and joy increase.

Meet me in the silence, Lord, and make me want to come there more frequently, that I may partake of You.