Do Not Underestimate the Peace-Givingness of Silence

A note to ponder for your weekend.

Do not underestimate the peace-givingness of silence. God speaks in silence and meditative prayer. He wants to meet you in your quiet meditation.

He said to David, “Come and talk with me.”

David’s heart heard God speak and say this. David’s heart could hear God’s voice because David pursued God’s presence.

That’s what David means when he says he delights and seeks most to be in “the house of the Lord.” “House” here isn’t a real dwelling. It’s a metaphor for God’s presence.

Psalm 27 was most likely from David’s early poetry collection. Perhaps he’s still tending sheep and is out for days in the wilderness, sleeping beneath a blanket of stars. Imagine the night sky he witnessed back then! Imagine the head space David had to meditate on the words of God and the faithfulness of God.

Sometimes, we let life get too loud. Noise? Chaos? These are antithetical to beauty. Though beauty will bear witness to God’s glory whether we let ourselves see it or not, we can annihilate it from our lives—from the eyes of our hearts—by letting noise reign.

When we quiet our lives, God’s presence fills it in the most remarkable ways.

As a writer and artist, I’ve loved studying the life of Bach. His work comes from the profound meditative place where craft meets devotion. His brilliance—and I don’t use that word often or lightly—did not come through chaos. His craft bears witness to wisdom, understanding, and quiet devotion to God.

Whether it’s art or any other vocation, our lives and work will bear witness to what reigns in our hearts. If it is chaos and noise, we reflect unsettledness, anxiety, and fear.

But, if it is silence, meditation, beauty, and the presence of God, then it is a settled, peace-givingness.

Take some time to settle into silence this weekend.

Meditate on Psalm 8, the first nature psalm in the Psalter. God is seeking your company. “Come,” he says, “and talk with me.”

Blessings to you, friends, on this week’s end. 🙏✨