The Sound of Silence: The Call of a Neglected Discipline
by Rebekah Morgan
Recently I joined my college’s choir in making a recording of our hour-long program. High-powered microphones were brought in, and we were educated in the ways of live recording. The key, we learned, was total silence, in order to avoid unwanted noise on our recording. So we turned off the air-conditioner and settled in for three hours of silence. At first, the stillness was uncomfortable; we fiddled with our clothes and shifted our weight. But gradually, the silence started to settle in. It was most poignant in the first few seconds after a song ended: the echoes faded away, and we thought perhaps we heard the world turning.
It’s rare to experience this kind of silence in the busy world of the 21st century. If ever we catch a moment away from the noise of radios and televisions, it is soon interrupted by the urgent vibrations of an email or text alert. Constant noise is a part of our modern lives, and if anyone speaks intentionally of silence it is often in reference to various aspects of eastern religion that have become popular.
Silence, Scripture, and Jesus
Though our days are so full of clamor, Scripture calls for a counter-cultural approach to our lives and the way we approach noise. For example, Proverbs teaches us to keep silence before others. Throughout Proverbs appears a recurring theme of the wise and foolish man. The wise man is righteous, edifying, and holding neither debt nor grudges. However, the wise man is also silent; he is careful with his words, which are few and far between; he is always listening. Consider these calls to listen and be silent:
Let the wise hear and increase in learning (Prov. 1:5a).
The wise of heart will receive commandments, but a babbling fool will come to ruin (Prov. 10:8).
The wise lay up knowledge, but the mouth of a fool brings ruin near (Prov. 10:14).
When words are many, transgression is not lacking, but whoever restrains his lips is prudent (Prov. 10:19).
Whoever belittles his neighbor lacks sense, but a man of understanding remains silent (Prov. 11:12).
The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but a wise man listens to advice (Prov. 12:15).
Whoever guards his mouth preserves his life; he who opens wide his lips comes to ruin (Prov. 13:3).
The heart of the righteous ponders how to answer, but the mouth of the wicked pours out evil things (Prov. 15:26).
Even a fool who keeps silent is considered wise; when he closes his lips, he is deemed intelligent (Prov. 17:28)
Whoever keeps his mouth and his tongue keeps himself out of trouble (Prov. 21:23)
A fool gives full vent to his spirit, but a wise man quietly holds it back (Prov. 29:11).
Proverbs also emphasizes silence among others—what I will call corporate silence.[1] The wise man, in these verses, doesn’t simply hold his tongue: he silences himself in order to listen. He is not always silent (Eccl. 3:7), but he is always “quick to listen” (Jas. 1:19), as James instructs us to be.
However, holding our tongues in others’ presence isn’t the only aspect of Christian silence; and neither is Proverbs the only book where we hear a call to silence. Throughout Scripture many examples of individual practices of silence appear. The Bible exhorts God’s people to “keep silent” before the Lord. Scripture closely ties praying and meditating on God’s Word with reverent silence in His presence:
It is good that one should wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord (Lam. 3:26).
But the Lord is in his holy temple; let all the earth keep silence before him (Hab. 2:20).
In returning and rest you shall be saved; in quietness and in trust shall be your strength (Isa. 30:15).
Be still, and know that I am God (Ps. 46:10).
For God alone my soul waits in silence; from him comes my salvation (Ps. 62:1).
But I have calmed and quieted my soul, like a weaned child with its mother (Ps. 131:2).
Ponder in your own hearts on your beds, and be silent (Ps. 4:4).
Most importantly, we have the example of Jesus Himself. Scripture tells us that Jesus removed Himself to quiet places for individual silence—sometimes for a short time, sometimes all night, and once for forty days. Jesus also practiced corporate silence throughout His ministry, often remaining silent at key points in the Gospel narratives, the moist poignant of which being His own trial. Just as Isaiah prophesied, “He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he opened not his mouth” (Isa. 53:7).
Silence and the Great Christian Tradition
While Scripture’s recommendation alone is enough to encourage the discipline of silence, many of our Christian brothers and sisters from ages passed have also recognized the value of silence. The early church father, Augustine of Hippo (4th century), recognized the value of silence in his writings. Donald Burt quotes from one of Augustine’s sermons, wherein he encourages his audience:
Let us leave a little room for reflection in our lives. Let us leave room for periods of silence. Let us enter into ourselves; let us leave behind all noise and confusion. Let us look within ourselves and see whether there is some delightful hidden place in our consciousness where we can be free of noise and argument, where we need not be carrying on our disputes and planning to have our own stubborn way. Let us hear the Word of God in stillness and perhaps we may come to understand.[2]
Augustine here notes the importance of both outer and inner silence: separating oneself from the chatter of people, but also putting away the “disputes and planning” of our own hearts.
In the 15th century, a monk named Thomas à Kempis penned one of the most popular and influential devotional works of all time, The Imitation of Christ. Thomas speaks to two halves of silence in his work: guarding against speech, and loving silence. Concerning the former, Thomas reasons that we love empty speech because it diverts our attention from the difficulty of the inner life, and “lighten[s] our distracted hearts.”[3] In addition to disdain for meaningless chatter, Thomas also encourages growing a love of silence. Wisely he notes, “He alone can safely speak who prefers to be silent.”[4] For Thomas, a love of silence brings a new caution and prudence concerning what we choose to say.
A Call Toward Silence
As we have seen, the teachings of Scripture and the Church both teach the practice of silence. Why, then, are we 21st century Christians not participating in this vetted discipline?
Here’s the answer: silence is hard. It requires us to humble ourselves. Silence requires us to suppress an urge we did not know we had: the urge to control our image. Richard Foster addresses this in his book, Celebration of Discipline. He observes that because we are often afraid of people having the wrong impression of us, “we talk in order to straighten out their understanding.”[5] Foster goes on to say that one result of the practice of silence is release from the bondage of controlling our reputations, and “the freedom to let our justification rest entirely with God.”[6] It is a hard task to surrender the defense of speech and to let God be the only vindicator of our souls.
Though difficult and humbling, silence is imperative for the mature Christian life. Silence is necessary because we must come to terms with ourselves. It is in moments of stark silence that we realize our own condition before a holy God. In silence we learn the whispers of our own hearts, for good or ill. “Examine yourselves,” said Paul (2 Cor. 13:5). We must quiet our surroundings, phones, radios, televisions, tongues, and indeed our own hearts and examine ourselves before God. These daily times of silence to reflect on the condition of our hearts may often be painful, but they will be corrective and healing too.
We must also develop a habit and love of individual silence in order to gain greater control of our tongues in our practice of corporate silence. As Thomas aptly noted, loving the beauty of silence makes us more aware of the words we choose to say. Mr. Michael Oliver of Welch College suggests asking this question before deciding to speak: “Is what I am about to say more beautiful than silence?”[7] Releasing the need to verbally control our image frees us to say things we were perhaps too busy to say before: we have more time for inquiring of others, for building up our brothers and sisters in the faith, and for speaking Scripture’s truths to one another.
Most importantly, we must quiet our surroundings and our hearts for the productive meditation on the person and work of Jesus Christ. Like a tree planted by streams of water, we must resolve to sit still for a moment and drink in the Word of Christ (cf. Ps. 1), letting Him transform us into new creatures through moments of still reflection.
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For further reading on the topic of silence:
Ruth Haley Barton, Invitation to Solitude and Silence (2010)
Wayne E. Oates, Nurturing Silence in a Noisy Heart (1996)
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[1] I borrow the idea of corporate and individual practices of spiritual disciplines from Donald S. Whitney. You can read more in his book, Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life.
[2] Augustine, Sermon 52, 22 “Let Me Know You…” Reflections on Augustine’s Search for God, ed. Donald X. Burt (Collegeville, Minnesota: O.S.A. Liturgical Press, 2003).
[3] Thomas à Kempis, The Imitation of Christ, trans. Joseph N. Tylenda (New York: S. J. Random House, Inc., 1984), 13.
[4] Thomas à Kempis, 27.
[5] Richard J. Foster, Celebration of Discipline: The Path to Spiritual Growth (New York: Harper & Row Publishers, Inc., 1978), 88.
[6] Ibid.
[7] Lecture given in Welch College chapel, fall semester, 2014.
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About the Author: Rebekah Morgan is a senior at Welch College in Nashville, Tennessee, pursuing her Bachelor of Arts degree in history. She currently lives with her parents in Cedar Hill, Tennessee, and is engaged to be married in December. She enjoys reading Annie Dillard and tending to her bonsai tree.
May 15, 2015
What an enriching article, so many Biblical references about silence!
May 17, 2015
Thanks for reading, Kathy! Once I started looking into this topic it was surprising to see how much the Bible references the practice of silence.