Nina Smit

Be silent before the Lord, all humanity, for He is springing into action from His holy dwelling.

~ Zechariah 2:13

In this verse from Zechariah it almost seems that one must first become silent before the Lord if you want Him to emerge from His holy dwelling. The more silent you become, the better you feel God’s presence around you, the clearer His voice speaks to you. God is the friend of silence. “The more we receive in silent prayer, the more we can give in our active life,” Mother Teresa said. Singer Bobby van Jaarsveld testifies that he understands God better since he has learnt to become still for one minute each day.

Begin your own quiet time with one minute of silence, a minute in which you cut yourself off from everything around you, where you sit completely still, keep completely still and open yourself up completely to God. Later on it will be easy to stretch the minute so that you listen to God for quite a while.

If you have to wait at a traffic light, stand in a queue or wait in a doctor’s waiting room, or at night before you fall asleep, be still and tune in to God’s voice. Give Him the reigns for a change, Joubert writes. Don’t become impatient if you aren’t successful the first time. It’s going to take time and practice, but the more often you do it, the easier it becomes.

Lord Jesus, teach me the value of silence. I want to experience Your presence and hear the sound of Your voice speaking to me in the silence. Amen