I found myself quite convicted the other day as I was scrolling through the chaos of Instagram and came upon this quote: “We drown in entertainment to avoid the silence where God speaks, then complain that he is silent.” Coming across that type of reminder during an hour-long doom scroll has a unique irony that immediately snapped me out of my social media stupor.

Now, I realize that there is nothing significantly profound about the realization that social media has absconded with our time and attention spans; nor am I blind to the irony that what I am writing will be promoted through multiple avenues of that same media machine. However, my conviction came with a more pointed concern. Our cultural problem is not simply screentime, it is the growing incapacity to be still.

When I say “still”, I don’t just mean the ability to sit and not move (l prove the human capacity to do that every time playoff basketball is on). What I am referring to is quieting our bodies and minds, giving all of our attention to one focus. Take a scan around a room of people watching a movie and you will quickly realize how foreign a task this has become. My assumption as you observe is that a significant portion of them will be on and off their phones throughout the movie. It seems that one screen is no longer sufficient, which begs the question: why is this the case?

My belief is that a part of us fears silence because it is uniquely revealing. When we quiet our minds, what has been sitting beneath the surface quickly reveals itself: anxiety, insecurities, frustrations, and fears. Busyness has become our daily dose of willful ignorance which simultaneously numbs us to life’s strife and sweetness. Noise, whether auditory or mental, does not discriminate. When it is loud enough, it blocks out what is going on around us (cue turning down the radio when you’re looking for the right address while driving). Thankfully, there are ways we can turn that noise down.

Yet, as we already established, the goal is not simply silence. As Christians, we need to be anchored in our stillness so that any breeze that comes by does not blow us away. That tether is the revealed Word of God. Hebrews 6:19–20 (ESV) reads, “We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul…Jesus has gone as a forerunner on our behalf, having become a high priest forever…” What does that mean? Simply hearing those words is not enough.

Charles Spurgeon wrote this concerning the importance of silence: “Why is it that some Christians, although they hear many sermons, make but slow advances in the divine life? Because they neglect their closets, and do not thoughtfully meditate on God’s Word. They love the wheat, but they do not grind it; they would have the corn, but they will not go forth into the fields to gather it; the fruit hangs upon the tree, but they will not pluck it; the water flows at their feet, but they will not stoop to drink it. From such folly deliver us, O Lord…”

True life-reshaping knowledge comes from daily separating ourselves from the busyness of this world and meditating on the Word of God. Not simply reading it but reminding ourselves (through the truths found there) of His heart for us, the work of Christ, and how we have been reconciled to Him through the power of the gospel. Take those beautiful truths and apply them to the fears and anxieties that come to the surface in silence, having your eyes opened and your life redefined. Like walking through the forest, it is only when you are silent and focused that the presence of all within it is revealed: wood cracks, birds chirp, brush blows in the wind, and the stream trickles past.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, your Father in Heaven is present and working. Seek Him in the stillness and be renewed by what you find.