For God alone, my soul waits in silence. — Psalm 62:1 and 62:5
Two things are difficult–waiting and silence.
Try doing them at the same time. It’s enough to drive the modern person to drink.
Hermann Hesse was called the first modern writer. His characters might have lived alone, but they needed noise. For example, the first thing the main character of Steppenwolf did when he entered his apartment was turn on the radio. He needed noise as a distraction.
Imagine Hesse writing today. Constant distraction. Does that smart phone ever leave your hand? Some people wear their Apple Watch or FitBit to bed. I wonder if the alerts wake them constantly.
We end a Yoga class lying on our backs on our mats in meditation usually called “Final Relaxation.” I’ve been teaching for years. I’ve seen many people who can settle into deep relaxation for those six precious minutes. Others fidget so much I fear they will wear out their mats.
A psychologist instructed a patient to go home, find a quiet place where he could be alone, and just spend an hour a day quietly by himself.
At the next session, the psychologist asked how it went. “Oh, I played around with my violin some. Picked up a book and read.”
“No,” the psychologist said, “I want you to sit quietly by yourself. Doing nothing. Not planning tomorrow. Just waiting quietly.” The man could not bear to be with himself. No wonder the family couldn’t bear to be with him either.
Waiting?
How will you hear God’s whispers or feel his nudges if you are noisy, distracted, and busy?
Your soul needs to be fed. It likes silently waiting for God.
Gary Mintchell
Faith Venture 