Healing Silence
The sermon emphasizes the importance of solitude and silence in our lives, highlighting the need to prioritize it in order to experience spiritual growth and deepen our relationship with God.
A.W. Tozer emphasizes the profound importance of silence and solitude in our spiritual lives, drawing on the example of Jesus who often withdrew to pray in silence. He critiques the modern evangelical tendency to fill life with noise, which reflects immaturity and a lack of understanding of the healing power of quietness before God. Tozer urges believers to seek the discipline of solitude, allowing their souls to be refreshed and renewed in the presence of the Father. He calls for a commitment to mastering this practice, regardless of life's busyness, to truly experience God's presence.
Text
And when He had sent them away, He departed to the mountain to pray. --Mark 6:46
Very few of us know the secret of bathing our souls in silence. It was a secret our Lord Jesus Christ knew very well. There were times when He had to send the multitudes away so He could retire alone into the silence of the mountainside. There He would turn the God-ward side of His soul toward heaven and for a long time expose Himself to the face of His Father in heaven....
My eyes and ears and spirit are aware of the immaturities in the so-called evangelicalism of our time. The more noise we make, the happier we seem to be. All of the signs of immaturity are among us.
We are seeing a general abhorrence of being alone, of being silent before the Lord. We shrink from allowing our souls to be bathed in the healing silences. Men Who Met God, 103-104.
"Father, we've focused for several days on the need for solitude and silence. Grant that we might not forsake the quest until we have really mastered this discipline, no matter how busy our lives continue to be. Amen."
Sermon Outline
- The Importance of Silence
- The Immaturity of Noisy Evangelicalism
- The Healing Power of Silence
- Bathing our souls in silence
- Exposing ourselves to God's presence
Key Quotes
“There were times when He had to send the multitudes away so He could retire alone into the silence of the mountainside.” — A.W. Tozer
“The more noise we make, the happier we seem to be.” — A.W. Tozer
“We are seeing a general abhorrence of being alone, of being silent before the Lord.” — A.W. Tozer
Application Points
- We must prioritize solitude and silence in our lives in order to experience spiritual growth and deepen our relationship with God.
- A general abhorrence of being alone and silent is a sign of spiritual immaturity.
- We must make solitude and silence a regular part of our lives, no matter how busy we become.