Have you ever sat in silence when everything that makes noise is turned off? During the week, I get up very early and am the first awake. I have a routine of making coffee, getting my phone out and opening my Bible app to do my morning devotionals. Sometimes the devotional will prompt the reader to sit in silence and ponder God’s blessings, other times it will prompt one to think of someone who needs prayer to know Jesus. During these moments of silent contemplation, all seems right in the world. I sometimes hear the hum of the HVAC, other times the birds waking up and greeting the pre-dawn sky with their song, I might hear the ice maker dropping chunks of ice into the bin or the gentle roar of a jet carrying passengers on a journey. Sometimes, in my mind, I hear the voices of loved ones, who have long since passed away, while I’m enjoying a memory. Sitting in silence isn’t silent unless you are in a vacuum. 

When I am very in tune to the Word, I might hear the nudging of the Holy Spirit prompting me into a decision I need to make or a verse I need to pay attention to. The voice of the Holy Spirit isn’t audible, but if you listen intently enough, you’ll recognize the prompting, and you will learn to fine tune it.  I don’t hear it often enough and I suspect that it is my own doing.  My mind gets cluttered too often with the worries of the day or the fog of a restless night’s sleep. My most cherished mornings are when a particular verse repeats itself in the various reading plans to which I am subscribed.  It’s as if God has put it in front of me and I am supposed to take notice.  I try to decipher what I am meant to learn, sometimes with the help of Bible notes.  These are the times I most often make an entry into my journal. It helps me stop and concentrate as I copy the verse and relate it to whatever is going on in my life at that time, or in the lives of friends and family. 

The silence of the morning is my favorite way to start the day. It grounds me for whatever is ahead of me.  As we all know, life can change in a flash. We aren’t guaranteed tomorrow or even the next minute so making the most of every one of them is vital to a healthy heart and mind.  If you are reading this, I hope you can find time, either in the morning or before bed, when you can tune out the noise of devices and let your mind soak in some words of Wisdom. Shhhh, listen, do you hear that?