A while back I had an ear infection and had to take a hearing test. I was placed in a completely quiet room with headphones and was told to raise my hand if I heard a beep. The beeps would come at various intervals, frequencies, and volumes. The better your hearing, the more beeps you would hear. Perfect hearing would mean every single beep was heard... even the most quiet.
A STILL, SMALL VOICE
My hearing at the time was not very good, but the doctor did what was necessary so I could hear quiet sounds again. Similarly, we should be able to hear the voice of God, and discern His voice from all the others. It is important to hear God, not only when He shouts, but even when He whispers. Our lives are often so “noisy” that when God speaks in His “still, small voice,” it can be difficult to hear.
SILENCE AND SOLITUDE
I believe the spiritual disciplines of silence and solitude are means by which we can learn to hear the whispers of God. Solitude means being by yourself. Silence means to be still and in a quiet place. When we are disciplined enough to separate ourselves from all distractions, both external and internal, and simply sit before God, we create the opportunity to learn to hear and recognize His voice. We can begin to hear God speak quietly when we are in a quiet place. Then, when we are in the midst of the noises of life and God’s voice is mixed with so many others, we will be more apt to discern the one voice we need to hear most.
When we are quieted before the Lord, listening for what He may say, the sounds in the silence can change our lives.
As Lent commences on Ash Wednesday, we are entering a time of introspection and prayer leading to Easter. Let us reflect on the significance of death preceding resurrection, urging readers to embrace a daily practice of surrendering self in preparation for our spiritual transformation.