My best days begin with nothing. I wake up, make a cup of coffee, then settle on the floor with a pillow and a journal. I resist checking email and set a timer on my phone for ten minutes. And then, with a few slow, deep breaths, I settle into silence.
Whether it’s accompanied by a quiet request to God tuned to the rhythm of breath, or soundtracked by a collision of wandering thoughts and internal monologues, those ten minutes of silence feel like a small island in a chaotic sea, maybe because they are. There’s no denying we live in a culture of noise. I relish quiet, but it’s rare to find a moment where I’m not reading something, or thinking about something, or scrolling on my phone, filling my head with something. The voices are loud and incessant, and they beg for attention every waking second. So maybe that’s why silence feels so countercultural, so sacred. Away from the noise, I can finally listen.
In one of my favorite passages from the Old Testament, the prophet Elijah experiences the gift of quiet. After a stunning display of God’s power before the prophets of Baal, Elijah is on the run. Scared, angry, and alone, he flees into the wilderness and screams toward the sky: “I have had enough! LORD, take my life, for I am no better than my fathers” (1Kings 19:4). But in the night, he doesn’t hear fearful judgment; angels come to him, encouraging him to eat and rest before the next journey.
For forty days, he walks, and I can’t help but wonder if those forty days felt like forty years. I wonder if he begged for signs, if his heart pounded at the memory of the altar bursting into flame, or if the shouts of violence haunted his dreams. But then one night, in a cave, at the end of the forty days, God speaks again.
“What are you doing here, Elijah?” (v.9).
Elijah lists his grievances. The Israelites have rejected their God, the king and queen are corrupt, the prophets have been killed and rejected, and the most heartbreaking complaint of all: “I alone am left” (1Kings 19:10). So, God beckons him outside for the show of his life: a cliff-shattering wind, a churning earthquake, a raging fire. But God doesn’t speak in any of them. Instead, “after the fire there was a voice, a soft whisper” (v.12). God doesn’t give Elijah more work to do or tell him to stop moaning. God meets him, repeating the gentle question, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” (v.13).
We don’t lack reasons to grieve or work to do, but what may we hear when we “come away… and rest for a while” (Mark 6:31) and “wait expectantly for Him”? (Psalm 37:7). Like Elijah, we may look around and despair, feeling all alone. God invites us to practice silence, to turn down the noise so we can hear His soft whisper and turn toward Him.
For the longest time, my anxiety has encouraged me to not be silent. It’s in silence I’ve always feared that my worried thoughts would creep in. Instead, I would surround myself with music, tv shows, or scrolling through my phone to keep my mind preoccupied in other ways. As I’m spending more and more time in my Bible and with God, I’m realizing silence isn’t bad. In fact, it has allowed me to rest on His word and in His protection. While I’m with Him in those silent times, I don’t need to fear worried thoughts creeping in, because He always refocuses me. Lord, I pray you continue to ignite the fire in me to spend more time with you in silence. Help me not to fear silence with you, but encourage me to spend time there because you will always keep me safe. Amen!
@ERB, not sure if you will see this. Thank you so much for the advice. I am definitely going to try that today. Silence with God is so important for finding calm during the chaos of life.
I love reading all the comments and how everyone understands them or applies the reading. This is the first reading I’ve followed along with and it won’t be my last. God’s blessings to all of you as you dig into His word and find more ways to be present with Him.
I want to practice this daily time of silence. It is hard with a toddler and a husband working from home, but I know how important it is.
Silence and rest seem to go hand in hand from the verses we read today. Silence induces rest. Noise induces restlessness and activities. In silence we are able to catch that still small voice of God. Among noises, that still small voice is swallowed. King David says in his psalm 131 “Surely I have behaved and quieted myself, as a child that is weaned of his mother, my soul is EVEN as a weaned child, KJV”. This indicates he has learnt again and again how to calm and still his own emotions and feelings, notice the word “Surely” here. He is confident. Such powerful way to master our own emotions in order to hear God. May we be able to do the same. Thank you Lord. Teach us daily to hear you better, teach us how to quiet ourselves.
Love this, !!! I love the stillness of sitting in the quiet of early mornings with the word, with no one around, best time of the day.
Wow, I needed this today. I’ve been feeling like Elijah lately and woke up feeling very discouraged, alone and distracted. I’ve been having a hard time getting into the Word, but God graciously brought me to this study today. The cool thing is I’ve been going through an in-depth study of Romans and just studied Romans 10 where Paul references the remnant of Israel that God spoke to Elijah about when He appeared to him on the mountain in 1 Kings 19. This connection was a gentle whisper to remind me that God sees me and He is with me. He has not left my side and will provide the strength I need in every moment. Psalm 37 is an encouragement to trust in the Lord, to delight in Him, commit to Him, be still before Him and to wait patiently for Him. He will do it. He will continue to work all things (the highs and the lows) for my good and most importantly His glory. His ways and thoughts are high above my own, and He knows what is best. I need to trust Him more and not despair. In Him alone, I will find true rest and strength.
Angelica – slow breathing helps me to focus my mind. Repeating a word on the inhale, another on the exhale (peace, surrender….breathe, unrush….the words that come to me differ by day!) helps my mind to settle, the breathing helps my body to settle, jaw relaxes, shoulders loosen…helps my physical body be more receptive to hearing God in the silence. This is a daily challenge. Some days, my mind will cooperate. Other days, not so much. It’s a journey ;-)
Angelica. I have at times been practicing why is called centering prayer. Basically you pick a word to focus on—- Gods presence, Gods love, Gods grace etc. set your timer and then focus on the word. As your mind starts to wander bring it back into focus by saying the word. I’ve started with 15 minutes. There is an ap too called centering prayer. I’ve really enjoyed it