“In the silence of the heart, God speaks.”
–Mother Teresa

On my runs (a word I use liberally), I frequently encounter folks out for a walk who don’t respond when I say “Hi” or if I wave. Typically, they’re using ear buds or wearing head phones, seemingly oblivious to what’s going on around them. Perhaps they’re making a statement that they’d prefer not to be bothered.

You might say, “Well, they’re listening to music, or a podcast, or maybe even an audiobook or sermon.” Maybe so, and that’s their rightful choice. But don’t they, or all of us, ever tire of the noise?

In today’s world, we are bombarded with auditory stimuli: television, radio, podcasts, and social media–our sources of “silent noise” that fill our heads just as much as the audible words fill our ears. What’s more, we seem to crave it, a fact that probably explains why there’s such a market for these purveyors of auditory disruption.

And it’s not just noise, it’s loud noise. Have you ever noticed how much louder commercials are than the TV show you’re watching? And music, from rock concerts to church services, is cranked up, as though the louder it’s played, the more attention it’ll get or the better it will sound. It’s no wonder ENT doctors and audiologists are concerned about our population’s increased incidence of hearing loss.

I suspect many of you have sworn off television coverage of the news, as have I. It’s biased, disruptive, and often replete with half-truths. If you still watch the news, sometime when it’s on, turn it off and soak in the silence, a welcome respite from the “Breaking News” that also broke yesterday and the day before.

The psalmist wrote, “Be still, and know that I am God (Psalm 46:10 NIV).” This was written when the people of ancient Israel were under attack and existentially threatened. But it’s just as apropos for such a time as this–a time when vitriol spews from the right and the left, and even from the halls of Congress and the White House, places where calm and reasoned discourse and debate once prevailed. Now, we are bombarded by noise from those whom we elected to govern us and lead us forward.

When we quiet our environment, we’re able to reflect on life and its meaning, our personal station in this world, and God’s sovereignty. We realize he’s in control, not us, and suddenly things no longer seem so noisy and precarious. The vitriol that fills our ears and is meant to frighten us, or motivate us politically or socially, seems like little more than gibberish. We can’t let what we hear, or read, for that matter, fill our brains and crowd out more useful input.

To be sure, there are positive sounds we should avail ourselves of: music (played at a reasonable decibel level!); podcasts and television shows that seek to educate us or sometimes just entertain us; audiobooks; and especially polite conversation.

When is the last time you silenced your phone, turned off the television, put away your laptop and iPad, and just sat and listened to the natural sounds of our environment? That’s a big ask, as we’re addicted to our devices, right? Just think of what you miss when you’re tuned out and plugged in: birds singing, the wind rustling through the tree leaves, the laughter of children at play.

May I encourage you to do just that? Try immersing yourself in the silence. If you do, you might just hear that still, small voice of God, filling you with calm and hope and peace.