The Sound of Silence (Article from March 2011)

The Sound of Silence

So how did you do with the 5-Minute Challenge to read scripture each day?  That was just one spiritual discipline (or soul training exercise).  These practices train us to become like Christ.  Pastor Rich recently showed a commercial for the U.S. Marine Corps as a more realistic depiction of true discipleship than life on a cruise ship.  And for any and every follower of Christ, discipleship is not optional!  Just to be clear, we are absolutely saved by grace alone, but training in righteousness requires two participants—us and the Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 9:25; Gal. 5:16-26).

All spiritual disciplines have one thing in common—our actions provide God with space to work in our lives.  When we open our Bibles faithfully each day, we provide God with the opportunity to speak to us through his Word.

The Sound of Silence

NoiSe bombards us all day long, every day.  Whether you have a house full of kids, or live alone, we still live with noise.  When the prophet Elijah was exhausted and discouraged, God told him to go up the mountain, God would meet him there.  There was thunderous wind, but God was not in the wind; there was a powerful earthquake, but God was not in the earthquake; there was fire, but God was not in the fire; then there was a gentle whisper—the still, small voice of God.

How often have you wished that you could hear God speak to you?  Have you longed to clearly feel his guidance in your life?  Perhaps the noise surrounding us drowns him out, and yet he is there, in the silence, waiting to speak to you in his gentle whisper.

This Month’s Challenge:   Do Nothing!

This month’s soul training exercise may be the toughest one you could face.  We all know how crazy busy we are.  Our days are overstuffed with activities.  I urge you to spend 30 minutes this week doing nothing—Not reading (even the Bible), not praying, not writing or listening to Christian music—nothing.  Why?  To give God enough space in our lives to be heard.  You may not hear God audibly (or even inaudibly).  The experience of doing nothing is so foreign to most of us that the first time, you will probably feel extremely uncomfortable.  But one thing’s for sure—God will smile broadly that you love him enough to carve out 30 minutes just listening for his gentle whisper.