C.S. Lewis described our world as “the Kingdom of Noise.” Sadly, I do my part in contributing to the noise with the steady stream of information pouring into my ears from my endless podcast feed.
For the most part, I would say that my motives are pure. I feel a responsibility to keep up with the news, to listen to interviews featuring the authors whose books I’m reviewing and recommending, and to be challenged by theological conversations that deepen my love for God and his ways.
However, I’m finding myself wondering about silence. Habakkuk calls for silence as part of the believer’s acknowledgement of God:
The Lord is in his holy temple. Let all the earth keep silence before him.”
Habakkuk 2:20
Twice in Psalm 62, David exhorts his own soul to “wait in silence,” and 21st-century believers need to have the same conversation with our souls. Am I making room for the discipline of silent waiting before God, waiting for the Spirit to bring his words to mind, to convict me of sin? Is there brain space in my day for me to delight in God’s attributes?
I love the feeling of accomplishment that comes with multi-tasking. How wonderful, though, to lean into the truth that God does not love me more or place a higher value on my life if I am “productive” (by my definition of the word).
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Living mostly in the 17th century, François Fénelon wrote about the struggle pre-Apple podcasts, pre-Spotify—and the radio wasn’t even adding to the noise level until the 1890s!
God does not cease speaking, but the noise of the creatures without, and of our passions within, deafens us and stops our hearing… We must bend the ear, because it is a gentle and delicate voice, only heard by those who no longer hear anything else.”
François Fénelon, Christian Perfection, 155-56
In Seeking the Face of God by Gary Thomas, I’ve encountered two pointed exhortations that steer me toward a healthier relationship with silence:
- Mind your own business!
Who would guess that the “advice” I dish out to nosy or tattling 5th graders in my role as a substitute teacher should come back around to me, but there it is! We all have circles that need tending. Maybe I do need to stay informed about Christian publishing, but how far and wide does my interest really need to travel? - Don’t fear the quiet!
I love the feeling of accomplishment that comes with multi-tasking. I can whip through a sink full of dishes and listen to a podcast at the same time. I can watch a YouTube video of a sermon while folding laundry or preparing a meal. How wonderful, though, to lean into the truth that God does not love me more or place a higher value on my life if I am “productive” (by my definition of the word).
In our busy lives, we need to leave room for feeling our feelings and thinking our thoughts, but even more importantly, we need to be thinking God’s thoughts after him. Living in the “kingdom of noise,” how do we make room for the hard work of interpreting our circumstances in light of God’s character, of exegeting our lives according to the revelation of God in our sacred text?
I’m a long way from proficient in the practice of silence, so I welcome your input on this topic.
Let’s share what’s working!
- How are you building the practice of listening for the Lord into your daily schedule?
- If it’s true that we all have “circles” to tend to, how are you limiting yourself so that you are “minding your own business.”
- What boundaries are you setting to help your life become less noisy?
Holding You in the Light,
How’s YOUR relationship with the discipline of silence? Twice in Psalm 62, David exhorts his own soul to “wait in silence,” and 21st-century believers need to have the same conversation with our souls.
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Oh, I love this post, Michelle. I’ve been working on not adding more noise into the world which can add to distraction rather than listening presence. I’m less on social media, but what I do add I hope inspires to breathe in the moment rather than rush into productivity. It’s counter cultural to not be so noisy in today’s world, I find. But working at it….
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That’s where I am finding myself, too, Lynn. It’s definitely a matter of prayer and balance.
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When I am puttering in the kitchen, I tend to turn on the Christian radio station. Even though the content is edifying, sometimes I feel the need to not have more noise/content on. I remind myself that in past years, people didn’t have nonstop information coming in all their waking hours. We can only take in so much.
Sometimes as I read blogs for the day, I pray for wisdom as to which to read thoroughly, which to skim, and which to skip all together.
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You have put your finger on the crux of the issue. There’s SO much information out there and only limited time and limited brain space to absorb it. We’re human…
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I find information overload is very stressful. The clamouring to inform gets me agitated at times. I prefer to filter it out and seek the LORD. Often I play David Suchet’s reading of the Bible on YouTube and I find it incredibly peaceful…
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That’s a great point, and it’s wonderful that you are aware of what information overload does to your brain and your nervous system. I’m trusting for grace to be self aware too!
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Oh I love silence; though I do feel like I rarely get to just sit and bask in it; perhaps that’s one reason why I enjoy hiking so much. Usually the only sound there are nature sounds!
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And those nature sounds are especially beautiful in the spring, don’t you think?
I’m with you in the realization that I don’t leave enough space in my days for silence.
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The overload of information is so weighty. We have to make so many decisions a day on where to focus our attention. This is something I am constantly dealing with as well since I also like to feel productive. Forcing myself to do only one thing at a time (sometimes) has been helpful (but also excrutiating).
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I imagine that 5s and 3s struggle equally with this!
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Oh girl, you know you’re speaking my language! Although I do find a good podcast to be the perfect companion if I’m spending a long time in the kitchen (for some reason!)
I’d love for you to do a post on the podcasts you recommend. I (and I’m guessing ALL your people) would be very interested …
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You have the best ideas! I will probably do that very thing! I’ve ventured into that genre a bit with a Desert Island Bookshelf in my April newsletter. Russell Moore shared mine a while back, and it dawned on me that it might be of interest to my crew!
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I find I can only take so much noise over the course of the day. I love quiet. Being quiet. It gives me time to think about what I have read or heard. This was a wonderful reminder to not only be still but to be still with expectation.
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You’re making a good choice to limit the noise. And yes to expectation in the stillness!
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Amen. The importance of prayer (listening and offering worship and petitions) cannot be overstated. We need to step outside the noise in our life. I enjoyed listening to a speaker at the Festival of Faith and Writing speak to this topic.
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Yes, outside the noise!
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You are hitting close to home with this one, Michele. I find that I like to have podcasts on a lot too, but lately I’ve been noticing a few things. First, I’m often not listening close enough to retain anything helpful, and second, I’m hearing statements here and there that make me wonder why I’m even listening in the first place. Not sure how to proceed with the latter, but building in periods of quiet certainly wouldn’t hurt.
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That’s where I find myself too, Lois!
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Wait in silence. That’s just beautiful.
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Simple—but not easy!
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I definitely live in the Kingdom of Noise! What I love to do when weather permits is to spend Saturday afternoons by the lake and just listen to nature. It is so healing! I’m excited that in my part of the world it is getting warm enough to do this again.
Also, I’m been trying this: During my lunch hour, I set my timer for 10 minutes of silence and do my best not to think, but just listen. It is hard to turn my brain off, yet I do sometimes feel I have heard from God by the time the timer goes off. It doesn’t happen every time I listen … but it does happen more often than not.
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This is such practical information, Jerralea! Thank you for sharing your experiences!
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