The Habit of Quiet
Cities Church,
Isaiah 30:15,
“Thus says the Lord God, the Holy of Israel, ‘In returning and rest you shall be saved; in quietness and in trust shall be your strength.’”
Isaiah 57:20,
“But the wicked are like the tossing sea; for [they] cannot be quiet.”
My exhortation this morning echoes the invitation of YHWH in Isaiah 30 to enjoy strength, rest, and rescue by learning the discipline of silence. Friends, I exhort you today to practice the habit of quiet.
Now, I’m not simply commending external silence. Biblical quietness goes much deeper than just a lack of noise. This quietness is primarily internal — a quiet demeanor of the heart. Thus, Proverbs says the wise man both restrains his words — outward silence — and quiets his soul — inward silence (Prov 17:27, 29:11). But the fool is loud and restless, a lover of noise (Prov 1:21, 7:11, 9:13). Because we are body-soul creatures, what we do externally affects us internally and vice versa. So, I’m calling us to cultivate inner quietness by creating rhythms of outer quietness.
Man’s Default Volume
Friends, the need for silence is not new to modernity. Man’s default volume has always been loud. Yet, wise men have always celebrated silence. Nearly two centuries ago, Spurgeon said,
“Quietude, which some men cannot abide because it reveals their inward poverty, is as a palace of cedar to the wise, for along its hallowed courts the King in his beauty deigns to walk.”
And indeed, the King did dwell in those courts. King Jesus created rhythms of quiet during his time on Earth. And before him, King David called those halls home, saying, Psalm 131:2,
“I have calmed and quieted my soul. . . like a weaned child is my [heart] within me.”
So, distraction from within and without is not new, but the volume has amped up. We live in a society that hates quiet. We are besieged by ceaseless content, harried by business, drowning in noise, and always accompanied by a device of infinite distraction. We know neither inner nor outer quiet.
Saints, we have a great need for silence. How will we hear birdsong, that sweet symphony of the Father’s care for creation? Or how will we listen to God’s whispered words if we never practice quietness?
The Deep Sea Joys
Allow me to illustrate. Imagine life as an ocean. Waves constantly toss the surface of that sea — waves of sound, waves of work and entertainment, waves of financial cares and health concerns, waves of stubborn children and sinful parents. Waves, waves, waves. But did you know that even the greatest waves cannot disturb the water just 150 feet below the surface? Down deep there is peace and calm. And it is to those depths our God calls us through the habit of quiet.
Spurgeon enjoyed those deeps. Listen to how he exhorted his congregation:
“I am persuaded that most of us think too much of speech [and action], which after all [are] but the shell of thought. Quiet contemplation, still worship, unuttered rapture, these are mine when my best jewels are [set] before me. Brethren, rob not your heart of the deep sea joys; miss not the far-down life, by forever babbling among the broken shells and foaming surges of the shore.”
Friends, too often we miss “the far-down life” because we never quiet the babbling. We are tempest-tossed, beaten and battered by the pounding breakers of life because we never leave the shore and go deep with God through the discipline of silence.
A Handful of Quietness
So, saints, let us take hold of what Ecclesiastes calls “a handful of quietness” (Ecc. 4:6). Sometime this week, set aside 5 minutes to cultivate inner quiet by creating outer quiet. Whatever you have to do, find some silence so you can savor “the deep sea joys.”
And, as we move into a time of singing and preaching, let your singing erupt from a quieted heart (Isa 14:7). And let us heed the invitation of YHWH,
“Be still and know that I am God” (Ps 46:10).
And doesn’t this remind us of our need to confess?
Lord, you tell us in quietness and trust shall be our strength. And yet too often we are unwilling. Too often our hearts are loud, forever babbling with anxious noise. Forgive us. Quiet us with your love (Zeph 3:17). Take us below the waves, deeper into the far-down life with you. Convict us now as we enter this time of silent confession.