Enjoy the Silence: A 30 Day Experiment in Listening to God

Josh is starting something new with our junior high staff: reading the same book as a group, but reading on our individual time. To start us out, he purchased everyone the book, “Enjoy the Silence: A 30 Day Experiment in Listening to God,” by Maggie Robbins and Duffy Robbins, a husband and wife who produce many resources for Youth Specialties.

The idea behind the book is to bring believers back to the simplicity of learning how to listen to God via a couple different forms, primarily, “Lectio Divina: the practice of wholly listening.” The writers make clear the premise that this practice of learning to listen is not about following steps and making sure one goes through each step perfectly. Rather, “the spiritual disciplines…are about developing habits that will help us gaze into the face of our partner, Jesus, our Lord of the Dance” (15).

After describing some ideas for listening to God, the remainder of the book is set up as a devotional, or a daily reading and pondering of a portion of scripture. Josh and I have been individually going through the book and today found me on Day 1 and Day 2 in the reading. I began day 1 yesterday, but I wanted to continue in it today as well.

Day 1: Luke 8:4-15. Jesus tells the parable of the seed that fell on different kinds of soil. The seed, represents the Word of God, and the soil, represents the heart of the person hearing the Word. I must admit that my heart is often not as receptive as it should be when I hear God’s voice through His Word. And I know I’m not alone. Silence and developing the art of “wholly listening” takes a lot of time and patience. I tend to be easily distracted, going through the numerous lists in my head of things I must get done in a day, week, etc, instead of setting aside my worries.

I believe the “seed” in my life often lands on the thorns. “Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up with it and choked the plants…The seed that fell among thorns stands for those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by life’s worries, riches and pleasures, and they do not mature” (vs. 7, 14).

So often, I know God is speaking to me, to act and react to His calling and beckoning, but His Word is being “choked” by the “worries, riches and pleasures” around me, the “idols” sort to speak that distract my attention. My small group of girls I had during a discussion time during Sunday School and I discovered this truth together. We have been going through the book of 1 John on Sunday mornings. 1 John’s final sentence states, “Keep away from idols” or “keep away from anything that might take God’s place in your hearts.”

“Cultivate my heart, Lord, so I may catch every word that falls from heaven—every syllable of encouragement, every sentence of rebuke, every paragraph of instruction, every page of warning. Help me to catch these words as the soft, fertile soil catches seeds.” –Ken Gire, U.S. Author and Speaker, pp. 29 “Enjoy the Silence.”