The sound of silence
Town Square - Telc, Czech Republic
I live in an old building. Well, I live in the “new” part of an old building. “New” meaning it was built in 1908. The old section is from 1770 and its foundations are from the 1300s. I realize some of you may need a minute to digest that. Go ahead. I’ll wait.
As you can imagine, things this old need updating from time to time. My landlords are bringing the wiring up to code. Apparently, the old building still has the original wiring which was installed by Frantisek (Frank) Krizik, who was a contemporary of Thomas Edison and an inventor in his own right. Because of this, they need to shut the power off every once in a while. And when they do, it becomes eerily quiet.
I don’t experience power outages as I did in Texas, so I wasn’t prepared for the stillness. You don’t realize how much noise is made just by everyday things. The gentle buzz of the lights, the faint hum the refrigerator makes, the whir of the computer, the boiler igniting – these things add to the subtle cacophony that surrounds us. We don’t even notice it until it isn’t there anymore.
I am beginning to understand the need for silence more, especially in all the midst of our busy lives. I used to watch TV shows almost every night to veg out after a long day of work. Now, with so many meetings online, I value the quietness in the evening. I need the space to think and defrag without noise or distraction. It is also so important to our spiritual life as well.
Job went through a time of silence as he was mourning his myriad of losses. His three friends sat with him for seven days and nights. No one said a word because Job’s loss was profound, and he was suffering greatly (Job 2:11-13). Sometimes, we need to sit in silence with our friends, letting them know we are here with them as they grieve. They do not need your wisdom or advice (unless they ask). What they do need is for us to let our presence be known. This has happened with a couple of friends recently where they were hurting too much to talk about their pain or issues. I let them know that I was holding on to their sacred silence and would be there when they are ready. We know that Job’s friends did not remain silent, much to their detriment. I pray the Lord will give us the wisdom to know when we need to speak and when to hold our tongues.
And then, there is God’s still, small voice. He tends to speak to us in gentle whispers (1 Kings 19:11 -13) not booming thunder. How can we listen to His promptings if we can’t clear space for Him to speak? And oh, how He longs for that opportunity to be with us. To sit with Him, be in His presence. Some of us are in the unique position to use this gift of extra time to enjoy the quiet and just be. To listen.
Friend, can I challenge you to set aside a bit of time to wait in silence before the Lord and see what He has for you?
Courtyard of my building