The Sound of Silence

My soul - in the world – it screams inside,

The noise, the clamor – it grows in size,

Rushing in - it continues to rise,

Consuming me like the ocean’s tides.

My soul - in the Lord – it soars inside,

The silence, the stillness – it grows in size,

Flowing in - it continues to rise,

Cleansing me like the ocean’s tides.

While the world - it screams – for my attention it vies,

The Lord - he whispers – in the quiet He guides.

And in the noise - there’s a battle inside,

But in the sound of silence - in Him I learn to abide.

For amongst the noise - my soul – it dives,

But in the sound of silence - my soul – it thrives!

While in the world - my soul may die,

In the Lord - my soul can fly!

For when the sound of silence sinks in,

It washes over the clamoring din,

And with the Lord - away falls my sin,

For in the sound of silence - control He wins!

Two months after becoming believers, my husband and I moved to the San Diego area.  This was a huge move for us, but I was ecstatic because I had always felt drawn to the big city – the lights, tall buildings, fast pace – it all exhilarated me!  However, once there, I was surprised by a yearning that began to grow in me for even just the smallest piece of quiet – a place of solitude where I could get away from it all…even if it was for just a moment.  I looked for it on our apartments balconies.  I sought it out in the recreational parks.  I even tried finding it through exercise and reading, and yet, no matter how much I searched and sought, it continued to elude me.  

Having grown up in a small town in Northern Idaho, I assumed that this longing for solitude was in my roots - where amongst the majestic mountain landscapes, the lack of population (people population that is) does not go unnoticed.  Little did I know that when I had accepted Christ, the seed that had been planted in me by God – the seed that is planted in us all – had been watered, causing the need to seek, and be with, and follow God to grow and take root inside me - that is truly where this new found longing had come from!

For several years I went on chasing the hustle and bustle of my dreams in the city of paradise, never once stopping to listen to the Lord, or even to consider the prospect.  Life was still all about me, which up to that point had seemed to work so well, but now – not so much.  Suddenly, life all about me felt uncomfortable.  Suddenly, life all about me felt wrong.  Suddenly, for the first time in my life, I felt directionless and confused, despite the fact that I was moving forward at a steady pace on the path I’d laid before myself.  Luckily, the Lord stepped in by placing several women into my life who would, with a lot of patience and persistence, lead me onto the correct path – the path of seeking, learning, and following the Lord rather than my own way. 

While there were many contributing factors that watered and fed the seed of Christ that was growing inside me, the all elusive sound of silence was finally fulfilled when I agreed to join a women’s Church group who was just starting a new study on prayer.  This particular prayer study, as I quickly learned, was not necessarily the best study for a first-timer.  It was very in depth and challenging beyond the average study, as the other more “seasoned” ladies pointed out.  But I was thirsty, like the psalmist in 63:1 (one of the memory verses for week three of that study): “O God, you are my God, earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you, my body longs for you, in a dry and weary land where there is no water.”  And so I soaked in the challenging material like a dried out dingy old sponge when dropped in a bucket full of fresh clean water.

Prior to that study, I had never even heard of having a quiet time with the Lord, never mind actually attempting to have one.  It did not come easily at first.  It felt awkward and pointless – sitting there in the silence waiting to hear the Lord speak.  What was I listening for?  I had no clue!  But then in week three, the writer challenged us to wake early, before the sun even, to have our quiet time.  She asked us to pray for the Lord to wake us in excitement to be with Him.  I - not being a morning person whatsoever, scoffed at the idea with skepticism.  “Wake early and with excitement?” I thought, “Surely not!”  But I did what was asked out of eagerness to figure out what this whole quiet time thing was about.

Not really believing I’d suddenly wake up before the sun, and magically be able to hear the Lord’s voice because of it, I prayed for the Lord to wake me that next morning…and to my great surprise, wake me He did, at 4:30am!  Then, to my even greater surprise, not only was I wide awake, but I was excited about it!  And my surprise didn’t end there either, I then got up and prayed the second memory verse for week three of that study, just like we were asked:

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To my amazement, the Lord’s voice came quietly through the darkness of that morning, entering in slowly like the dawn of the rising sun, flowing in to my heart, soul, and mind, filling them with the fullness of His light – the bright shining Son.  My heart sang, “I will praise you, O LORD my God, with all my heart; I will glorify your name forever.” ~Psalm 86:12.

It has been approximately five years since that first glorious morning in which I met with our precious Lord.  Learning to have quiet time with Him changed my life forever.  I wish I could say that I’ve consistently returned to the sound of silence every morning since then, but the truth is, despite the fact that I’ve been awoken to the beauty and nourishment that can be found there, there are still times in which I once again allow the noise of the world to rush in and seemingly extinguish His light in my life.  During those times, the Lord has patiently and quietly called for me to return…and inevitably when I do, He’s always there waiting for me - greeting me lovingly with His outstretched arms and grace.

“Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.” ~Jeremiah 33:3

“Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in you.  Show me the way I should go, for to you I lift up my soul.” ~Psalm 143:8

“My soul finds rest in God alone; my salvation comes from him.” ~Psalm 62:1