The power of silence (Part 1)

Now in the morning, having risen a long while before daylight, He went out and departed to a solitary place; and there He prayed. Mark 1:35

In the age of digital media, many people have become "Dopamine addicts," causing havoc on our physical, mental, and spiritual well-being. 

We are so conditioned to be exposed to constant stimulation, whether it is cooking, brushing teeth, taking a walk, or even trying to fall asleep without YouTube, podcasts, or scrolling social media. 

Because our brain's reward pathways have been hijacked, we turn on the screen or play something whenever we experience a dopamine deficit, not only to feel good, but to feel “normal”. The constant dopamine hit is a form of addiction that affects our concentration, productivity, and can even lead to mental health problems such as depression and anxiety. 

I believe this is the enemy's main tactic for stealing our peace and blocking our relationship with God and others. Social media is like a casino, the enemy allures us to like a noisy, distracting galore and tempts us to sit down to play the slot machine and boost us a cheap and fleeting pleasure. Our time is money, but we pour hours and hours into the cheap slot machine, which leaves us exhausted and depleted. 

We live in a time where seeking God and being still are becoming more challenging and difficult. Through my prayers regarding this issue, I realized that one solution is to practice “the power of silence ”. Noise disconnects, silence reconnects ”. 

There is the beauty and old practice of solitude, which is to practice silence to seek God. Jesus models solitude in the key verse today, finding a solitary place to pray. God speaks to us often in silent moments, so this is an essential spiritual practice. Like Elijah, we may not always find God during a spirit filled and powerful sign moment - he did not find God from a powerful wind, an earthquake, or a fire. God spoke to Elijah with a gentle whisper ”.

Can we silence ourselves enough to hear the Lord's quiet whispers to our hearts? In Part 2, we'll explore how silence can help us to establish our connection to our God and ourselves, as well as come up with a 21-day silence challenge to practice daily silence.  

Blessing prayer: May you deliver us from the evil one and help us seek You with quietness and solitude. In Jesus' name, Amen