When the disciples were crossing the Sea of Galilee, they found themselves in the midst of a terrible storm. Fishing boats could hold a dozen men. Life jackets were yet to be invented and the men in the boat had little by way of flotation devices. Between the winds, rains, crashing waves and screaming men the only quietness present was Jesus sleeping in the stern. Once awake, Jesus called for the quiet (Mk. 4:39) and the sound of silence was heard.
Elijah was on the run. The loud voices he heard threatened his existence. Though he carried a victory trophy off of Mt. Carmel, his victory lap wasn’t fueled by cheers but jeers. Queen Jezebel intimidated, pressured and made impending threats against Elijah. He stopped listening to God and only heard the voice of fear. So he ran to Mt. Horeb where he encountered God. Only when God came to him, not in the loud fires, earthquakes or wind but in a gentle, quiet whisper (1 King. 19:12) was the sound of silence heard.
The Psalmist recites the mighty works of God. His power is unmeasurable as he causes desolation, and bring wars to an end. God, he declares, will be exalted among the nations. God’s actions are clearly noise-making and attention grabbing. However, the charge given for us is “be still, and know that (he) is God” (Ps. 46:10). Only in our own stillness can the sound of silence be heard.
The noise level in our society has been documented. We get up in the morning and turn the television on. We jump in our cars and the radio entertains us. The factory, the school, the office, the store and the city congestion is filled with noise and very little chance to quiet the noise. At the end of the day the television is turned on again until we head to bed but not before turning some music on as we fall asleep. Where do we find the sound of silence?
I’m really no different. I work better with music, both in the office and in the yard. When I work out I have my earbuds tied to my music of the moment. I like having the radio on NPR news or syncing my music while driving down the road. I feel the sound of silence is almost disturbing, but may be necessary.
The Psalmist describes the righteous as one who “meditates on God’s law day and night” (Ps. 1:2). The meditation forces an individual to shut the rest of the world out in order to allow God’s word to penetrate his/her heart. With the noise and distraction removed, one can devote his/her entire focus on God and to try understanding what his will is for our lives. We meditate on his word. We process its meaning. Once confronted with his truth, we change our lives. We find that moment in the sound of silence.
We live with far too much noise yet we’re so conditioned by the noise. The noise we allow to penetrate our lives shapes our world view and is far more pervasive than we’re often willing to admit. While this has always been true, we may be facing epidemic proportions for a couple of reasons.
For one, the electronic devices we own, particularly our cell phones, could be triggering our brains to produce dopamine. In other words, we’re getting a burst of feel-good energy by tuning to our phones to check our FaceBook status or to read an article or to see the pictures on Instagram. In other words we’re getting a high and we’re wanting to experience that high over and over again. And if we’re not getting something from our phones, as some might argue, why do we struggle to walk away from them?
Secondly, the twenty-four hour news cycle has elevated and exasperated negative news stories which prey on our emotions. Because of lack of downtime, we’re not given any recovery to process the information effectively. Not only the news itself, but the news organizations fill their evenings with pundits whose messages have to be crafted in a way to draw you back into their viewership (talk radio programs employ the same tactic). They do this through anxiety and manipulation. Thus, it’s mostly fear-mongering and “worse-case-scenarios” while villainizing and dehumanizing opponents. It appeals to our sinful nature, and like an animal thirsty for more blood we tune in day after day after day. Such negative and constant diet of fear messages shapes our world view, robs us of joy and terrorizes our soul.
One way to combat the negativity and fear that permeates throughout our day is to lay the phone down, turn off the noise and pray. Meditate on Scripture and its message of faith and hope. Pray that you will not leave God for the drama, but stay in the security of his arms. When you sit in the sound of silence long enough, you’ll begin hearing his voice (Jn. 10:4).
Soli Deo Gloria!
(i.e. only God is glorified!)