What I Learned from Silence During Lent
Photo by Florencia Viadana on Unsplash
I don’t know about you, but as a Christian when I head into the Lenten season, I always have the big question in my mind “What am I going to give up this year for Lent?” When I was young, I remember everyone giving up chocolate or some other sweet treat. As an adult I hear more about people giving up coffee or social media.
This year as my family attended Ash Wednesday service I still had not come up with a solid thing to give up. The pastor invited us to a time of prayer where we would seek God and ask a simple question: “God, what would you like me to take away or add to my life during this Lenten season in order to draw closer to you?” As I prayed, I felt like I heard God say,
“Be in silence when you are driving to and from work.” My first thought was, “That really doesn’t seem like not enough.” I mean, not listening to something in the car? What kind of sacrifice is that? I was so unsure that I left the service thinking “If I keep praying God will reveal what I am really supposed to give up.” Well, that week I didn’t hear anything. So I gave into the idea that I should start driving in silence.
As I went through my first week of driving silently, I struggled. And to understand why I have to share a little bit of my personal spiritual context. I am coming out of what has been one of the hardest spiritual times in my life. It felt like two solid years of intense spiritual attack. There were times I really did not think I was going to make it spiritually, but God is so faithful to see us through! He fights for us and even leads others to pray for us when we cannot fight for ourselves. Those two years were rich with blessings even in the midst of the darkness. There were times when people would show up in the least likely places to work on God’s behalf without even knowing it.
During those two years, I also picked up a habit that in the beginning was very innocent. I started listening to worship music, Christian podcasts, and audiobooks throughout the day. This habit was so constant that I remember my husband once asking me “Don’t you just want to turn stuff off once in a while and listen to your own thoughts?” I remember replying “My mind isn’t a very fun place to be right now, I need these things to fill it.”
So it was in this spiritual landscape during Lent that simply driving in silence became a most profound experience. I was amazed at how something so simple could make such an impact. It allowed for in-depth prayer over my family, friends, church, and ministry. I would sing songs of praise that were put on my heart. I would hear God’s voice in ways that I had not allowed to happen in a long time. During one of my times of silence, I feel like I received the most beautiful summary of my past couple years from God. He said, “Your consumption of media has been a Band-Aid. Now is the time that you can turn back to me and I will fill your mind with goodness, direction, and love. Have confidence that your mind is right and I will gently strip away the armor you have built up and replace it with my holy armor.”
A nudge towards something that seemed so small on Ash Wednesday became grace that was anything but small by the time Lent was over. In fact, I had the most lovely Easter. It was one filled with traditional things, but it also included a special moment of confirmation during our Easter service. In an exchange with a young mom and her son, I received such affirmation that He is calling me to more in Him, and by turning back to Him I can experience His fullness and grace in this next season.
Even 20 minutes of silence in the car is enough for God to speak in life-transforming ways. You don’t have to wait until next Lent. How will you create space to hear from God this week?