Be Quiet!

For God alone my soul waits in silence, for my hope is from him Psalm 62:5

Last weekend I gave the 9th graders at the confirmation retreat a very difficult assignment.

We were at Green Lake bible camp. At around 9:30 on Saturday night, our education time was done, and we were finally outside, and preparing for evening worship. We had to walk on a path through the woods in the dark of night to our destination, the outdoor chapel.

Walking through the dark woods, imagining what could jump out at us, hearing all of the night noises, was both frightening and thrilling. But we all made it safely. A bonfire was blazing by the time everyone arrived at the chapel, and spirits were high. And there was a lot of noise.

Chattering, laughing, singing, shouting, we were in God's great outdoors and the energy was boundless. As everyone sat down for worship, I gave this simple (yet difficult) instruction. Everyone must be quite. Completely silent. It is impossible, I told them, to listen to how God is speaking to you if you don’t sit quietly, at least for a little while, and listen. And so we sat, quietly. I had to shush them a few times. But it was beautiful – the night noises were clear and comforting, and I hope that some of those kids had a chance to listen to something that God was saying to them that night.

In an article called Why Be Silent?, Margaret W. Jones reminds us of the importance of taking time to be quiet to listen for God.

"Silence is a lost art in a society made of noise. What God works with in my silent times is ME. It is only with ME that God deals when I permit myself to be quiet.”

God is always speaking to us, but how much of what God says to us do we hear? If we are always in conversation, or listening to the news on the TV or the radio, or even listening to religious music on our IPOD, we are drowning out the voice of God, who might have a very important message just for us.

Take some time today, and every day, to be quiet and to listen. God is trying to tell you something that only in the silence will you be able to hear.