Enter
the Silence
By Brita Crouse
“When life is
heavy and hard to take, go off by yourself. Enter the silence. Bow in prayer.
Don't ask questions: Wait for hope to appear.”
Lamentations
3:28-29 (The Message)
During
my junior year of college, I was given a class assignment that was...difficult,
to say the least. The assignment was to sit in silence. For thirty minutes. And
let God speak. I’m not going to pretend here: I had a bad attitude about this
one. But, I didn’t want to blow it off either. I was interested to know if I
could do it.
On
the floor where I lived, we had a small utility closet that had been converted
into a meditation room. This is the spot where I chose to do my assignment. I
felt like a fighter heading into the big fight as I walked down the hallway
toward the meditation room. I was trying to mentally prepare myself for thirty
whole minutes of quiet with a little internal pep talk.
I
approached the tiny room, opened the door, and settled in. There was a prayer
we were supposed to read through before we began, so I did that. Then I sat. I
think I was so stressed out about trying to hear God’s voice that my mind began
to race. It had only been thirty seconds! How was I going to do this for thirty
minutes?
My
brain began “rabbit-trailing.” What was for dinner in the cafeteria tonight?
I’m hungry; I should’ve eaten before I did this. How long can a person go
without eating food? Maybe I could sneak out for a snack. No, then I’d have to
start all over again.
And,
then, my heart heard a loud “STOP!” It was the Holy Spirit snapping me to
attention. What had I been doing? Focusing on everything but God. At that
moment, I realized how self-centered my existence was. I wasn’t thinking about
God at all, even when I was assigned to do it!
With
the help of the Holy Spirit, I was able to refocus and concentrate on listening
for His voice. You know what? The craziest thing happened. I HEARD IT. God spoke
to my heart because I listened.
Our
relationship with God goes two ways; it’s a back-and-forth. He wants to talk to
us just as much as we want to talk to Him. If we are constantly talking and
thinking and analyzing, where is there time for us to listen to what God wants
to say?
Take
time to “enter the silence” and pray. You won’t be disappointed.
GOING
DEEPER:
1. Find thirty minutes this week to spend
listening to God’s voice.
2. Tell a friend or family member how God spoke
to you this week.
FURTHER
READING:
Brita recently
graduated from Taylor University with a degree in Psychology, has been
attending Oakwood for sixteen
years, and is currently a helper for Oakwood’s Quest 56.
