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Why Silence is so good for you?

Proverbs 17:1 (NIV) says, “Better a dry crust with peace and quiet than a house full of feastings, with strife.”

Did you get that? Or did you read through it so quickly until you had to read it again because I asked, “did you get that”.

Ponder that scriptural verse for a moment.

Strife is conflict, anger, bitterness, friction. Can you imagine living in a house “full” of it? One could get used to having strife in their life until they devise problems to feel validated. Think about it: What is familiar becomes routine and routine becomes a craving. Good example is eating dessert after a meal or thinking you need to live with a person, unmarried, because they make you feel loved.

I’d like to share 3 reasons Silence is good for you:

1. Practicing Silence is calming. It helps you think for yourself and brings out the creative side of you. “Making time for silence can make you feel less stressed, more focused and more creative, according to science,” writes Carolyn Gregoire in Huffpost.com on silence benefits to the brain.

2. Too much noise can interfere with your basic foundational needs, such as concentration, sleep and activities. Southern Medical Journal published an article called Noise Pollution: A Modern Plague. It states, “associated health problems including hearing impairment, sleep disturbances, interference with speech, communication, cardiovascular problems, and disturbances in mental health, impaired task performance, negative social behavior and annoyance reactions” are all a result of too much noise.

3. Luke 5:16, Luke 22:39 and Mark 1:35 tells us it was a custom on Jesus to go to a lonely place to pray and that Mount Olives was one of those places. Daniel’s practice was to go to his upper room three times a day to pray (Daniel 6:10). Jesus and Daniel went to a place of solitude where they could pray and listen to God in silence, as did other great leaders in the Bible and Believers, today.

In 2020, we can classify Noise Pollution as:

• The Digital World - social media, internet, cellphones, ipads, laptops, computers, smart TV’s, email, video games, etc. For some these items are running 24/7 in their household and their heads. A never ending chatter of sounds and pictures telling one what they should buy, think, believe, laugh at, be, etc.

• Radio, Podcast, Videos and iPods - a constant flow of noise, visually and verbally, to help one not think, but daydream about the “what if’s”, and forgetting what we have, changing lies into truths, or entertainment produced to ease our pain.

• Written and Pictorial Communication - newsletter, advertisements, blogs, billboards, vehicles with designs advertising ways to get one to do something like calling them, or hit the like or subscribe button.

• Verbal Communication - constantly being nagged, trying to be the first one to answer questions rather they are right or wrong, degrading or validating a person, and talking to hear oneself talk. All noises with a constant flow to either pollute one’s mind or get one to believe a particular way.

Do you really want others to define you?

Do you really want to hear everyone else’s view of you?

What you should wear? How you should act? Who you should be?

Sometimes, it’s overwhelming to keep up with all you should know, do, be, see and think.

There is a better way.

So now that you know why silence is good for you. Let’s talk about changing your practice. Here are 5 ways to apply practicing Silence in your life:

First, Locate 3 places where you can have uninterrupted time alone. The designate a place where you can spend 5 minutes alone, 20 minutes, or 60 minutes.

Second, Once you have completed number one, set times and a location in your calendar. Practice one today. Make sure you bring to each session your Bible, pad or journal, and something to write with. No music, phone, or another person. You are about to embark into the World of Silence.

Third, Once you arrive at your designation, sit or stand and gaze around the area you selected. Take it all in. The sounds you hear, without judgement or thought. Only observing your surroundings. Don’t interact. Be still.

Fourth,  sit or stand with eyes closed and pray. Ask the Triune God, God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit to join you in your practice of Silence. Then say, “I’m here, LORD. Your servant is listening.” Similar to what Samuel did in 1 Samuel 3: 1-11. Now do just that: seek for God’s presence, listen, and wait for God to show up. His way.

Last, end your time by thanking God for giving you a moment of silence.

Click here to let me know if this blog was helpful or to share your experiences practicing silence.

For more practice time with silence or other Christian practices, spiritual disciplines, check out Hanging Out With Jesus Podcast. It’s where you can create space to practice a specific spiritual discipline to grow in love with God, your neighbor, and yourself.  If you’d like to join our community of like-minded Believers, check out our Facebook Community at Hanging Out With Jesus and me, Lyvita.

Shalom!