The Value of Being Still Before God
Do you struggle to sit in silence? In an age of distraction, it's tough to quiet our lives to listen for God's voice. But here are a few suggestions.
A few months ago, I realized there was too little silence in my life.
I’d leave work, a fast-paced, busy environment, put in my AirPods as I’d Uber home, and spend the evening with an audiobook or podcast while catching up on chores. The noise only increased later while at the gym or with friends and bled into my winding-down routine when I returned home, usually watching my favorite show while eating, showering, and going about my evening.
One evening, I sat at the piano and wondered why I felt so creatively dry and distant from the God I was trying to worship. It dawned on me that while I’d been having my personal worship time with God regularly, I hadn’t prioritized time to just be quiet with Him, to just sit in the place where conversation could happen, where the stillness made me aware of his nearness—his presence.
God invites us into this intentional stillness in Psalms 46. He says: “Be still and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” David Guzik says of this passage:
The idea is not that the faithful reader should stop activity and stand in one place. The sense is more that argument and opposition should stop and be still. This is done in recognition of God’s glory and greatness.
In other words, how could I possibly begin to scratch the surface of the greatness of God if I can’t bring myself to be still before him as a form of surrender? Even while the things I may be doing for God are in fact good, what might I miss out on if I don’t learn to silence the noise in my life and practice giving him my full attention?
While catching a movie with friends recently, I noticed how AMC reminds movie-goers of the key element that makes the experience of the big screen and surround sound so magical. And more importantly, they warn against the one thing that keeps this magic from taking place. We’ve all seen these words on the big screen: “Please don’t spoil the movie by adding your own soundtrack. Silence is Golden.”
The feared interruption is noise, or anything that might take away from the greatness and power of the production. Throughout the years, the warning voice-overs and visuals have changed, but the tag line has always remained the same. “Silence is Golden.”
