Silence

“Go placidly amid the noise and haste and remember what peace can be found in silence.”  The Desirata

I like to start my day on my back porch when the weather permits.  When I first begin my devotional time, it is usually silent except for the hum of the neighbor’s air conditioner.  Slowly, the noise of the day begins to creep in – first a dog barking, then a car going by, next a blower, and pretty soon noise has overtaken the silence.  This time every day is set aside for solitude, but the world and life happen to interrupt.

Over the years, I have learned the difference between silence and solitude. Silence is defined as “the absence of sound” while solitude is defined as “being alone.”  Silence demands solitude.  As we wait quietly before God, the spiritual ear becomes trained to hear His voice.

In our world today, nobody seems to enjoy silence.  The television is on even when no one is in the room, cell phones interrupt our quiet times constantly, Alexa is ready to talk first thing in the morning, exercise classes blare music to pump you up, car trips are filled with audio books, and stores play music continuously.

This week the buzz was all about the solar eclipse, and even though it wasn’t as total as I had expected, it was still incredible.  The strange thing was as we sat in our yard awaiting the eclipse, there was an unusual and comforting silence.  No one was driving, walking, talking, and there were only the birds singing their night time song.  We watched in silence as the reflection of the eclipse danced around the shadows revealing the crescents of the eclipse.  God speaks in silence, and Monday He assured me that He is still there and still in control.  I take a lot of comfort in that silent assurance.

Remember,  “silence can never be misquoted”.  selected