Sounds of Silence

I have noisy neighbours. For a number of months I have had to deal with their comings and goings at unsociable hours of the night and it came to a head last week when I confronted them and asked...well told them to be quiet! Silence and quiet is a precious commodity and in our very busy 24-7, never-ending, frenetic western world, it is rare to simply sit in silence. .

The Bible seems to position silence as an important dynamic in the lives of Christians. Psalm 46:10 says, "Be still and know that I am God". 1 Kings 19:11-12 shows us that God's voice was not in the earthquake or the fire but a 'gentle whisper'. Luke 5:16 says, "Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed." Our souls are bombarded with different 'voices' all telling us what to believe, how to live and where to go. TV, Newspapers, Internet, Face Book, per groups, 'Experts', Radio, music and so on will brainwash us unless we wash our brains in the Word of God: The Truth. Without stillness and silence, it is virtually impossible to hear God through it all.

At Saturday morning's prayer meeting, we spent 10 minutes in total silence. It was an amazing time of encountering God and a flow of Holy Spirit life began to pour into the meeting. The prayers which followed were truly inspired. Yesterday, Pastor Neil continued this theme as we spent the first few minutes as a whole Church in silence. Despite my initial lack of faith, I soon realised he had caught hold of a true Holy Spirit moment as different sections of the Church began to sing and lift their hearts to God. This released a powerful flow of Holy Spirit into the meeting and as a result, the worship exploded with power; we went to new places of His Presence.

Make time to enjoy the sound of silence this week. Let the Holy Spirit encounter you and lead you into an intimate moment with God. Don't run into His presence and talk at Him, filling the air with the sound of your own voice, instead come and wait in silence and be with Him as He draws near to you.