The Stillness of silence

When it snows, there is a specific sound of silence that one experiences. Falling snowflakes literally disrupt and get in the way of sound waves - they scatter sound around them which means less sound reaches you. The snow on the ground insulates the surfaces and absorbs sound through tiny pockets of air, much like foam, which is a great insulator of sound. Lastly, the atmosphere that comes with snow, causes sound to be curved up and pushed away into space. The atmosphere becomes thick and comforting in its silence.

When we come into God’s presence, He absorbs the world’s noise around us and reduces the volume from the outside world, while pushing away all distractions and brings us into true peace. Learning to slow down and be with Jesus, creates a peaceful stillness that our souls long for. However, this is a skill we need to acquire. Something that we need to regularly practice and grow in. Silence and Solitude go hand in hand. But if we don’t learn to be still, we will struggle to master the art of solitude. We need to learn to shut off technology and social media, which constantly bombards us with the opinions and thoughts of the world. Like Alexander Venter says “Silence can literally restore sanity”

At daybreak the next morning, the crowds came and searched everywhere for him, but Jesus had already left to go to a secluded place. - Luke 4 v 42 (TPT)

Silence tends to strip off our outer layer of falseness, allowing our true self to face reality. To be silent, is to hold our tongue and engage in active listening to God and His Word. The art of silence is learning to withdraw from the chaotic noise of the world. It is silencing the internal disturbance coming from our thoughts and emotions. This is how we come to “rest in the Lord” and be fully present with God. Stopping our internal “striving” and learning to “be still” in our hearts and minds.