Arriving at Silence



Prayer: For God alone, O my soul,

             Wait in silence, for my hope is from him.

             He only is my rock and my salvation 
             My fortress;

             I shall not be shaken.

             On God rests my salvation and my glory;

             My mighty rock, my refuge is God.

             Trust in him at all times, O people;

             Pour out your heart before him;
             God is a refuge for us. (Psalm 62:5-8) 

Read: Psalm 62
http://www.esvbible.org/Psalm 62:1-12 

Think about It: Have you ever met a truly quiet person? Chances are you don’t know very many. We are born with the desire to communicate and get our point across. That is not a bad thing. But, like all traits, taken to the extreme it becomes a problem. Then there are those few who are truly able to remain quiet while everyone around them are talking and filling up the air with sound. Some of those quiet people use silence as a defense mechanism. If you don’t say anything, no one can fault you. Nor can they get to know you. So it isn’t always a positive. But there are a few who just know how to hold their tongues. It’s not that they won’t talk. They just don’t need to do so all the time. They are a small group, but generally when they speak, it is wise to listen.

Learning how to be silent before the Lord can take years of practice. It means that you simply sit with the Lord and wait for Him to move or speak. You don’t have a need to instruct the Lord as to how to deal with your life. You don’t have a need to share with the Lord how you would solve your current problem. You don’t have a need to speak continuously. It is a place of quiet trust that God will do what is necessary without your prodding. It is difficult place to maintain, for it is born of years of experience with God and a full trust in His power and ability. 

Is it okay to tell God what you think? Absolutely! That is the stuff of relationship. What would a marriage look like if the husband and wife never talked to one another? But in our walk with the Lord, some of us can spend so much time telling God what we want Him to know that we are never quiet long enough to hear what He might be trying to say back to us. What a tragedy to miss out God’s instruction to us. 

If one reads between the lines of our Psalm for today, we see that David (the author of this Psalm when things are not going well in his life) is trying to wait in silence for the Lord to take care of him. David’s hope lies in the belief that God will help him without instruction. It is an unshakable position of trust and faith. And for those of you who need to share, pay attention to verse 8 where it says “pour out your heart before Him”. It’s still okay to tell God what you think. Just try the silence too!

Prayer: Dear Lord God, I know that trust is an issue for me. I know that even on my best days, I can trust You more and rely less on my own powers, which are an illusion at best. Please help me to rest quietly in You, trusting that You are able to take care of my every need. In the name of Jesus I pray. Amen.


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