The discipline of silence.

For God alone my soul waits in silence;
    from Him comes my salvation. Psalms 62:1

But the Lord is in His holy temple; let all the earth keep silence before Him. Habakkuk 2:20

When the Lamb opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour. Revelation 8:1

In a time where the noise has increased exponentially, silence is rare. How long can you be silent? Does your mind and soul crave music or some kind of noise at all times? Can you be silent before the Lord, just waiting, watching, and listening …in prayer? Can you use the silence to wake up your inner being / spirit and focus on the Lord? How busy are we with things every day filled with noise that have zero eternal value? How many words do we speak in a day that have little worth?

Even a fool who keeps silent is considered wise; when he closes his lips, he is deemed intelligent. Proverbs 17:28

If you have learned the discipline of fasting, have you also learned the discipline of silence? What’s more valuable in God’s Presence? Your words, or your listening ears? Does any of your prayer time include silence … to listen? When you are determined to be quiet and listen – your focus will improve. Is your spirit quiet before the indwelling Presence of the Holy Spirit within you? Or is your soul anxious and agitated in the silence?

Do you have kids? Ever played the ‘quiet’ game with them? A good game of hide and seek also demands a certain level of skill of remaining silent. Can we train ourselves to be calm and silent? Can you be at peace in your soul in the silence? Learning silence is a skill. It takes discipline to remain silent.

When things are tense and dangerous do you have enough control to remain silent? “You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in court of law.” If this is said to you – it is smart to remain silent. So many want to coerce us to say something they can use against us. Our words give us away. Our tongues can trap us… unknowingly.

Ask the Holy Spirit about silence and listen closely to Him.

A fool gives full vent to his spirit, but a wise man quietly holds it back. Proverbs 29:11

but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God’s sight is very precious. 1 Peter 3:4