In the Silence

"Let all that I am wait quietly before God, for my hope is in Him." - Psalms 62:5

Understatement of the year: I talk a lot. I would like to blame it on being a Kerychuk thing but it's not; it's a Tammy thing. Silence is uncomfortable to me so I can, and do, fill up lulls in a conversation as I talk about anything and nothing in particular. A latte I had, a coat I saw, the way my hair is doing this little flippy thing lately.... whatever it takes, I can fill the silence.

However, recently I have been experiencing what it is like to just be quiet and still. I can tell you one thing - it opens up my eyes to being much more observent. I notice so many details around me: the curly hair kid skipping across a parking lot and telling his dad that he prefers soccer to baseball; the awkward teenage girl walking down the street with her oversized sunglasses and music playing outloud, no headphones, from her mp3 playing phone; parents on either side of a toddling baby taking its hesitant and slow steps, each parent holding a hand; the wind through the palm trees; the hum of the air conditioner; the rustle of the paper as I turn a page in my book - every detail much more vibrant, and much more clear, because I had been quiet and paying attention.

I was wondering how this plays out in our spiritual lives. As we sit in our silence, and let God speak to our hearts, are our ears and hearts more attentive to what He is saying? Does the silence perhaps take away the dullness to His words our busyness has caused?

In Pslams 62:5, David says "Let all that I am wait quietly before the Lord, for my hope is in Him" (NLT). This verse brings tears to my eyes everytime I read it because it's about complete surrender. It's about trust. It's about obedience. Waiting quietly, patiently and hopefully in His will alone.

I'm not going to lie: I'm still not comfortable with all this quietness but I am very grateful for what He is speaking in the silence.