sounds of silence

Silence. Is there anything better in the whole wide world than silence?

Not for me. At least, much of the time.

My wife and I took a few daytrips recently and, after catching up with each other, enjoyed much of the rides in silence. That doesn’t mean we had nothing to talk about, because we did. But sometimes nothing ministers better than silence.

No television, no music and no phones. Complete and utter silence, with only the soothing rumble of road noise in the background.

Is this what heaven will be like?

It was sheer delight to let my mind think about whatever it wanted to think about, to drift from here to there. Nobody to impress and no big challenges to solve. Down time with a capital “D.”

Does the creek on the right demand my attention? Go for it. Does the billboard on the far side of the highway make me chuckle? Why not?

Slowly, ever so slowly, the stress and worries of life and ministry seep out of my body and are gone forever, like exhaust inching its way through a tailpipe.

Inevitably, my mind thinks of my heavenly Father, and I thank Him for His mercy and His grace. And I thank Him for this time of relaxation and refreshing. Repeatedly.

“O God, you are my God, earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you, my body longs for you, in a dry and weary land where there is no water.”1

While it may seem odd for some, I find God in the quiet of the moment, yes, even in the silence of a long car ride. Amazing though it may seem, my soul can be quenched while hurtling down the highway in a 1994 Honda Civic.

Silence. I encourage you to give it a try.

But get your own car, okay?

1  Psalm 63:1