“But if we’re going to defeat the mountain of doubt in our lives again and again, silence is going to have to become part of life. We’re going to have to learn to get comfortable with it. Because silence before God is a source of strength.”- Nicki Koziarz
“The LORD is in his holy temple; let all the earth keep silence before him.”- Habakkuk 2:20 (ESV)
In Chapter 5 (“A Prayer of Belief”) of Flooded, Nicki Koziarz observes that for some of us, silence can be quite awkward. Even uncomfortable. Furthermore, until after the flood, there’s one thing we fail to see from Noah – words. So, unlike the psalmist David, we get no glimpse into Noah’s heart. Nicki continues:
“With Noah we see only this. God commands, Noah listens. Maybe God needed us to see this silence from Noah. Perhaps one of the greatest things we can learn from Noah is this process: God commands, we obey.”
Also, the author notes, silence is one of the eight spiritual disciplines we find examples of in the Bible. Yet, in moments of fear and worry, silence seems the least likely alternative. Instead, we often feel like we need to process and talk it out. After that, maybe we’ll be ready to listen to someone else.
Above all, silence before God is important for your soul. Therefore, when you pray, it’s important to do more than pray just to be heard. It’s crucial to pray with the intent to listen.
In conclusion, Nicki voices her belief that one of Satan’s tactics is noise. Certainly, Satan must not be blamed for everything wrong in our lives. Because we make choices. And sometimes we choose noise. The author explains:
“There is power in noise and there is power in silence. It’s up to us to decide which one we let speak to us more. God is found in the silence more often than not. Mother Teresa, said this best: ‘God speaks in the silence of the heart. Listening is the beginning of prayer.’ ”
Today’s question: How do you defeat your mountain of doubt as you stand in silence before God? Please share.
Tomorrow’s blog: “Reality of hard holds the perspective of hope”
