God Speaks in Silence

Last weekend, I spent the weekend at a retreat center in silence and stillness. If you know me well, you know that this is waaaaay out of my comfort zone. I spend most of my time with people, I talk a lot and I’m usually attached to my phone. I was pretty hesitant about this experience because I knew it would challenge me (in a good way). What a powerful weekend it was.

It’s amazing what you notice when the distractions of other people, your phone and your normal comforts are not there. I was in the most beautiful place, surrounded by trees, water, birds and sand — all of my surroundings helped me experience God in a tangible way. I got to spend some time talking to God about what is going on in my soul and my heart. It was a beautiful conversation throughout the weekend. I didn’t walk away with any great new vision or direction necessarily, but what I did feel was this sense that I am held and deeply cared for.

There was one point during the weekend where I was sitting outside and decided to ask God a question out loud. I asked “God, what would you have me know right now?” The second I finished the question, a huge gust of wind came out of nowhere. I laughed and sort of didn’t believe what had just happened, so I dared to ask again. Same question and same gust of wind. It’s hard to believe things like that when they happen to you, so I asked a third time. And same thing - same question, same gust of wind. I could interpret that response to mean so many things, but what I took away from that experience was God saying: I’m here, you are mine, you are held, all is well. Sometimes God doesn’t speak in loud, super distinct messages but we can hear a still, small voice saying — “this is the way.” I walked away from the weekend with clarity, reassurance, peace and trust that I’m not alone — God is with me in every step and I am held by a God who won’t ever let me go — what a relief ❤️

I hope to continue to find ways to listen more closely to the voice of God in my daily life - by setting aside time for more silence and stillness. It was such a gift to experience and I will probably be processing all that I took away from that time for years to come. I say all this to say - if you are in a season where you don’t feel like you hear God speaking to you, or don’t know what’s next, maybe the first invitation is to get quiet enough to hear. You might be surprised.