Unlearning for Lent - Silence as Absence

Lent is a season of unlearning. And one of the more subtle things we may need to unlearn is our fear of silence.

We live in a world that fills every empty space with noise and distractions. Our phones buzz all day long with notifications and news updates and calendar reminders.  And in this type of relentless space where music is always playing and opinions are always being shared and emails are constantly appearing it can be very easy to assume that silence means that something is wrong.

But silence is not always absence.

In 1 Kings 19, Elijah goes looking for God in the wind, the earthquake, and the fire. But the Lord is not there. Instead, God comes in what Scripture calls “a sound of sheer silence.” In the moments leading up to this pivotal moment we are told about all the ways that God was NOT showing up for Elijah:  God was not in the wind or the earthquake or the first.  God was in the silence.

In our world of noise, silence feels unsettling.  Similarly, when God is quiet, we assume something is broken or wrong within us or wrong with God.

But Lent gently invites us to sit still long enough to discover that silence can be holy ground. The cross itself is marked by silence.  For 3 days there after Jesus death there is no immediate rescue or dramatic reversal. Just silent waiting.

Unlearning the fear of silence does not mean we enjoy it but it means we trust that God is present even when God is quiet.

Reflection question:
Where might you be resisting silence that could become a place of deeper trust?