Published on: 02/06/2026
No, I’m not talking about keeping secrets, or about not speaking up when you see something that needs reporting. Instead, let’s explore Quiet, or silence, as a spiritual practice. Luke 5:16 tells us that Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed. He regularly took time on his own in quiet places; away from people. When we talk about silence and solitude, that’s what we mean – time on your own, time in quiet before God.
Why do we need it, or why might it help us in our journey of following Jesus? Firstly and very simply – let’s do what Jesus did. Let’s apprentice under him and fashion our lives following his example. What would Jesus do (WWJD)? He often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.
Mother Theresa said “we need to find God, and he cannot be found in noise and restlessness. God is the friend of silence.” Hear me right here, I’m not saying that God cannot be found in sound. My most profound times of encounter with God have been in loud places – with worship music or singing, or through beautiful instrumental music. But sound is different to noise. Noise is busy and distracting and it interferes, it covers over what God might be whispering to us. In 1 Kings 19 God appears to Elijah, and when His presence passes by him it isn’t in the noisy sound of the wind, the earthquake or the fire, it is in the sheer silence that Elijah hears the gentle whisper of the Lord.
Today’s culture is so noisy. Both in terms of actual sounds coming from living near other people in cities and towns but more so the way we are endlessly bombarded with information vying for our attention. Our notifications, our diaries, our to-do lists, we are rushed and busy and harassed, a lot of the time. In the Fellowship of the Ring, Bilbo Baggins says “I feel thin, sort of stretched, like butter scraped over too much bread.” Do you ever feel like that? Time on your own, in quiet, with God, could be just the thing your soul craves.
For those of us in ministry and leadership it is important to take some time in quiet, some time out to reflect on ministry and to allow God to speak to us. I had a few days of retreat in Northumberland last week, on my own, and I visited Lindisfarne (Holy Island). It was a real gift, a special time, and I try to do it annually. This may not be feasible for you at the moment – so why not try and do a morning or a day of quiet? Doing this on your own may seem daunting, so you could always join a Quiet Day run by a retreat centre, or think about booking on to the one we’re running later this month. It is for anyone involved in lay ministry, either licensed, authorised or commissioned, and it will be a gentle introduction to Quiet Days as Margaret leads us through reflections on John 20:19-23 – Jesus appearing to the disciples.
This week’s Blog post was written by Beth Burras, Lead Lay Ministry Enabler