This is the fourth of five posts describing spiritual practices that help us to center our lives on Jesus while transforming us into his likeness.
The practice of silence feels foreign in today’s world. We clamor to be heard through social media channels or to stand out in academic cohorts. With Bluetooth speakers, AirPods, and noise-cancelling headphones, we can fill the void with noise, effectively distracting ourselves from our own thoughts. I find myself inexorably drawn to noise when I have a million things to do and not enough time to do even a few.
Henri Nouwen, in The Way of the Heart: The Spirituality of the Desert Fathers and Mothers, prophetically wrote about the noise that drowns out our worries and fears. He declared, “One of our main problems is that in this chatty society, silence has become a very fearful thing. For most people, silence creates itchiness and nervousness.” If society was chatty when Nouwen wrote that book in the 1980s, I wonder what he would think about the proliferation of words in the information age.
I’ve discovered, however, that the noisier my world, the more I need silence. It’s in the silence where I identify the thoughts bouncing around my mind I don’t otherwise notice. I also address deeper motivations, negative coping methods, and underlying anxieties.
In the frenetic pace of life, silence is “a regenerative practice of attending and listening to God in quiet, without interruption and noise. Silence challenges our cultural addiction to amusement, words, music, advertising, noise, alarms and voices” (Adele Ahlberg Calhoun, Spiritual Disciplines Handbook: Practices That Transform Us). David. the Old Testament psalmist, shares with you and me God’s invitation to silence: “Be still, and know that I am God.” (Psalm 46:10)
As a minister, I often led the congregation in short times of silence to get a taste of this spiritual practice. Even five minutes of silence--where there is no speaking and only ambient background noise--can feel isolating and unnerving. However, those few moments of silence provided an opportunity to hear God’s small whisper as Elijah did on the mountain (1 Kings 19:11-13).
- Set aside a few minutes where you refrain from speaking; turn off electronics and other sounds.
- Choose a time and place to practice silence. It can be after a meal, while commuting, on a walk, while doing chores, or preparing for bed.
- Identify thoughts and distractions that enter your mind.
- Listen to God. Be present with him. If you keep a journal, write a few observations from each of your times of silence and prayerfully review them later.
When and where will you start practicing silence this week?
Howard Chang serves as a Team Leader in InterVarsity’s Graduate and Faculty Ministries Pacific Area. He oversees ministries in the Central Valley, including the graduate student and faculty groups at UC Davis. Howard is an ordained minister who served in churches for over 20 years and holds a Doctor of Ministry degree from Fuller Theological Seminary.
Intervarsity Press publishes great books about spiritual rhythms/disciplines.
