We live in a world filled with noise.
Not just audible noise,
Though there is plenty of that,
But the deeper noise of constant stimulation,
Worry,
Distraction and urgency.
Our days are filled with voices competing for our attention.
News alerts,
Conversations,
Responsibilities,
Expectations,
And the steady internal commentary of our own thoughts.
In such a world,
The invitation to quiet ourselves can feel unrealistic,
Even uncomfortable.
Yet again and again in Scripture,
God speaks not in the earthquake or the fire,
But in a gentle whisper.
To hear the Word of God,
We must first learn how to be still.
Quieting ourselves is not about emptying the mind or escaping reality.
It is about creating space,
Interior space,
Where God is allowed to speak and we are willing to listen.
Silence is not the absence of sound.
It is the presence of attention.
When we quiet ourselves,
We are choosing to shift from control to receptivity,
From doing to being,
From speaking to listening.
Many of us approach God with words ready,
Prayers rehearsed,
Concerns listed,
Requests prepared.
These are good and holy,
But if prayer becomes only our voice speaking to God,
We risk missing the deeper invitation to let God speak to us.
The Word of God is not merely something we read or hear proclaimed.
It is living and active,
Personal and intimate.
But like any meaningful conversation,
It requires attentiveness and patience.
Quieting ourselves begins with the body.
We often forget that we pray as embodied people.
Our posture,
Breathing and physical stillness matter.
When we slow our breath,
Relax our shoulders and allow our bodies to be at rest,
We signal to ourselves that this moment is different.
We are no longer rushing towards the next task.
We are present.
This simple act of slowing down is already a form of trust,
A declaration that the world will not fall apart if we stop for a few moments and listen.
Yet physical stillness is only the first step.
Interior quiet is often more challenging.
Our minds resist silence.
Thoughts surface,
Unfinished work,
Past regrets,
Future anxieties.
Rather than fighting these distractions,
We can gently acknowledge them and set them aside,
Trusting that God will meet us,
Even amid our restlessness.
In prayer,
We do not strive for perfection.
We strive for honesty.
God does not wait for us to become calm before speaking.
He speaks as we are,
If we are willing to attend.
Quieting ourselves also requires humility.
To listen is to admit that we do not already have all the answers.
It means allowing God's Word to challenge,
Comfort or redirect us.
This at times can be unsettling.
We may prefer a God who affirms our plans,
Rather than one who questions them.
But true listening opens us up to transformation.
When we quiet ourselves,
We are saying,
Speak Lord,
For your servant is listening.
Without knowing in advance what we will hear.
The Word of God often comes softly.
It may arise as a phrase from Scripture that lingers unexpectedly,
A sense of peace or discomfort,
A sudden clarity,
Or a gentle nudge towards compassion or courage.
These moments are easy to miss if we are constantly moving,
Talking,
Or filling the silence.
Quiet allows us to notice what has been there all along.
There is also a moral dimension to quiet.
Our lives can become so crowded with noise that we lose touch with our deepest desires,
The desires God has placed within us.
Silence helps us discern what truly matters.
It strips away the superficial and reveals what remains.
In the quiet,
We begin to recognize patterns.
What draws us towards God and what pulls us away?
What brings life and what diminishes it?
This awareness is itself a form of God's Word,
Spoken not in sentences,
But in insight.
Quieting ourselves does not end when prayer time is over.
It becomes a way of moving through the world with greater attentiveness.
We begin to listen more carefully to others,
To respond rather than react,
To notice God's presence in ordinary moments.
The quiet cultivated in prayer slowly shapes the noise of daily life.
We become more receptive,
More patient,
More grounded.
In the Gospels,
Jesus often withdraws to quiet places to pray.
If even he needed silence to remain rooted in his relationship with the Father,
How much more do we?
These moments of withdrawal are not escapes.
They are preparations.
From silence,
Jesus returns to heal,
To teach,
To serve.
Quiet does not remove us from the world.
It sends us back into it with a clearer vision and deeper love.
As we reflect on quieting ourselves to hear the Word of God,
We are invited to ask not just when we pray,
But how we listen.
Do we allow God the time and space to speak?
Are we willing to sit with uncertainty?
Can we trust that silence is not emptiness,
But encounter?
In the end,
Quiet is an act of faith.
It says that God is already present and already speaking,
Even when we do not immediately hear him.
Our task is not to force meaning,
But to wait attentively.
When we quiet ourselves,
We make room for the Word that sustains,
Challenges,
And calls us forward.
So let us practice stillness,
Not as a technique to master,
But as a posture of openness.
Let us slow down enough to notice the whisper.
And in that quiet,
We may come to recognize that God has been speaking to us all along.
Thank you for joining me today.
God bless you.
