“Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!” (Psalms 46:10)
“There are certain voices which we never hear except when everything is silent. They reach us as a revelation of the stillness.” Creator wants us to understand Understand that He is the Fountain of power, wisdom, justice, goodness, and truth.
In a world saturated with noise, silence has become rare—and often uncomfortable. We fill our days with conversation, media, and motion, rarely allowing space for stillness. Yet Scripture teaches that some of God’s most profound communications come not through thunder or spectacle, but through quietness. The prophet Elijah learned this when he stood on Mount Horeb, expecting God to appear in dramatic force. Instead, the Lord came in “a still small voice” (1 Kings 19:11–12). The message was clear: divine truth is often whispered, not shouted.
Silence does not mean absence. Rather, it creates the environment in which God’s presence becomes more perceptible. “Be still, and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10) is both an invitation and a command. Stillness allows the heart to shift from activity to awareness, from striving to surrender. When external noise fades, the soul becomes attentive. Like young Samuel, who heard God’s voice in the quiet of the night (1 Samuel 3:1–10), we discover that spiritual hearing requires more than ears—it requires stillness.
Jesus Himself sought silence. Though surrounded by crowds, demands, and suffering, He withdrew to solitary places to pray (Mark 1:35; Luke 5:16). In those moments of quiet communion, His mission was strengthened and His purpose clarified. Silence was not escape; it was alignment. The Father’s voice did not compete with the noise of the world—it met Jesus in the stillness.
In a life wholly devoted to the good of others, the Savior found it necessary to turn aside from ceaseless activity and contact with human needs, to seek retirement and unbroken communion with His Father. As the throng that had followed Him depart, He goes into the mountains, and there, alone with God, pours out His soul in prayer for these suffering, sinful, needy ones…. All who are under the training of God need the quiet hour for communion with their own hearts, with nature, and with God. In them is to be revealed a life that is not in harmony with the world, its customs, or its practices; and they need to have a personal experience in obtaining a knowledge of the will of God. We must individually hear Him speaking to the heart.
When every other voice is hushed, and in quietness we wait before Him, the silence of the soul makes more distinct the voice of God. He bids us, “Be still, and know that I am God.” This is the effectual preparation for all labor for God. Amidst the hurrying throng, and the strain of life’s intense activities, he who is thus refreshed, will be surrounded with an atmosphere of light and peace. He will receive a new endowment of both physical and mental strength. His life will breathe out a fragrance, and will reveal a divine power that will reach men’s hearts. (MH 58).
In the midst of our maddening rush, God is speaking. He bids us come apart and commune with Him…. Not a pause for a moment in His presence, but personal contact with Christ, to sit down in companionship with Him—this is our need. (Education 260,261).
There are also voices within us that only emerge when everything grows quiet. Conviction, comfort, and spiritual clarity often rise in silence. “It is good that one should hope and wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord” (Lamentations 3:26). When distractions fall away, the Holy Spirit speaks to the conscience, reminding us of truth, correcting our course, and reassuring our hearts (John 16:13). These are not loud voices, but they are unmistakably real.
Silence, then, becomes more than a pause—it becomes a revelation. Isaiah writes, “In quietness and in confidence shall be your strength” (Isaiah 30:15). Strength is not always found in activity; sometimes it is discovered in stillness. In the hush of prayer, in the calm of reflection, and in the sacred quiet of trust, God’s voice reaches us—not with force, but with peace.
There are voices we will never hear amid constant motion. They wait for the soul to be still. And when everything grows quiet, those voices do not merely speak—they reveal. Every silence has a voice. Every silence contains a personal message from Creator.
Finally, silence reveals spiritual truths that noise often conceals. It teaches patience, humility, and dependence on God above our own understanding. As we wait quietly before Him, our inner distractions fall away, and the “voices” of conviction, comfort, and direction become recognizable. In the midst of life’s chaos, the stillness of God’s presence becomes both refuge and revelation—an invitation to listen, to know, and to be transformed.
Reflection Questions
What “voices” in your life crowd out your ability to hear God’s voice?
How can you create intentional times of stillness in your daily rhythm?
In what ways has silence brought you closer to God?