I shared this with some friends earlier this week, and thought I’d share it here. In 2024, after my Mom died, I encountered months of silence in the presence of the Lord. At first, the silence was comforting. I felt the Lord’s presence. As if he were sitting quietly next to me like a trusted friend.
As time went on, I continued doing what I knew to do… praying, worshiping, reading and listening to the Word. All the while, the Lord there. With me. Just silent.
I should point out that I did have a habit of exercising stillness before the Lord during devotions for short periods, fifteen minutes here, an hour or two there. Typically on my schedule.
But hours turned into days… the silence became awkward.
The days turned into weeks… the silence became disconcerting.
The weeks turned into months… and the silence became alarming.
When you’re accustomed to a vibrant conversation with the Lord, the absence of His voice is so overwhelming that the silence itself is loud.
I examined my heart. I prayed Psalm 139:24 (NLT) repeatedly. “Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life.”
At one point I was listening to Chris McClarney’s song, I’m Listening, on loop. Part of the lyrics say:
I don’t wanna miss one word You speak
Song: I’m Listening Artist: Chris McClarney, Released: 2018 Album: Breakthrough (Live) Featured artist: Hollyn
‘Cause everything You say is life to me
I don’t wanna miss one word You speak
Quiet my heart, I’m listening
As the song played over and over, I cried out to God in exasperation and said, “How can I miss anything you speak if you’re not SAYING anything?”
Then I wondered, if I’m not bothered by my husband being silent when we’re together, why am I bothered by the Lord being silent? Companionable silence with my husband doesn’t bother me because I’m not worried he’ll never speak again. We have an established intimacy that we can just enjoy each other’s presence and know that words will be used when needed. We enjoy meaningful conversation, and yet we don’t allow silence to chase us from each other’s presence.
And I thought, it’s the same with the Lord.
And so, much like I do with my husband when the opportunity presents itself, I chose to scoot a bit closer and just enjoy the opportunity to be with Him without any expectation but to be WITH Him. I leaned into embracing silence in God’s presence.
Embracing Silence in God’s Presence
In my grief, I found much comfort in the Psalms. Psalm 62 speaks about waiting quietly before God. Psalm 121 tells me my help comes from the Lord. Psalm 126 promises I will harvest with joy and singing.
In November, I was privileged to share a message about hope in hard times, titled, “Don’t Waste the Trial.” Losing my Mom was in a series of trials that seemed to stack on top of each other in the last three years. In that message, I shared about the Latin phrase, Coram Deo that means “in the presence of God.”
I used the verses of Psalm 118: 27-29 as my own personal prayer. ‘God you are my Lord, you have given me light; I will bind myself as a sacrifice with cords to the horns of the altar. You are my God, and I will praise You; You are my God, I will exalt You. Oh, I give thanks to you Lord, for you are good! Your mercies endure forever.’
Those months of silence in the presence of the Lord became cherished time. They changed how I approach time with the Lord. I invite silence as much as I invite conversation. Of course, I don’t want to miss one word He speaks. But He doesn’t need to say a thing for me to stay in His presence. The evidence of His presence surrounds me without Him uttering a single word. And because I invite the silence, my ear is tuned to His voice all the more.
In Exodus 24:16, Moses lived for 6 days in the silent presence of the Lord on Mount Sinai before the Lord spoke.
‘And the glory of the Lord settled down on Mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it for six days. On the seventh day the Lord called to Moses from inside the cloud. ‘
Exodus 24:16 NLT https://www.bible.com/bible/116/EXO.24.16
Scripture doesn’t tell us what Moses did. Just that God’s presence was there, Moses was there, and it wasn’t until day 7 that God spoke.
THEN Moses climbed higher up the mountain and remained on the mountain for forty days and forty nights.
I firmly believe that if we can’t embrace and cherish the times of silence in the Lord’s presence, it will hinder not only our ability to hear Him clearly on the 7th day, but also our ability to climb higher and remain for the time required to receive the revelation we so desperately want and need.
Yes. We absolutely want and need to hear from the Lord. We desire revelation for our lives. And Scripture assures us that the Lord will reveal things to us by His Spirit.
There is something so wonderful about sitting with the Lord. No one speaking. Relishing each other’s presence. There’s an intimacy there that just doesn’t exist in conversation.
