Pilgrim Soldier

I’m trying to remember the last time that I sat in silence and I’m struggling! I’m sure on holiday I sat down on my own a couple of times and sometimes while Sian is asleep in the afternoon and Zoe is at work the flat is quieter. But is it ever silent?

The road we live on is a relatively busy road as its one of 2 one way streets that many people drive along near the centre of Riga. The weather is warm, which means our windows are open a lot. We live in a building which is in regular use by the general public and has 12 flats in it. It’s rarely quiet where I live!

As I sit in the office right now there is no-one to talking, no sound of cars, in fact its almost silent, if it wasn’t for the all invading white noise of computers humming in the background, the buzz of fluorescent lights and just now the cooling unit on the water dispenser kicked in!
Its difficult to escape from the noise of modern life!

When talking about corporate worship, Patrik (see Warcry on the right) has said that only when its loud is there the freedom to choose silence, and I can understand this viewpoint. The silence we so often retreat into when worshipping in many church services is often an uncomfortable, embarrassed silence, born not of communion with God but our own insecurities.

But aside from corporate worship we also find silence a difficult thing to achieve. The world has become so noisy that it is difficult to find places where the modern world does not encroach on the silence. Luke 5:16 shows that withdrawing to a lonely place was an essential part of Jesus’ time. If it was important for Him, then how much more important is it for us to take time away from the noise of everyday life to spend time listening to God?