How To Quiet The Noise And Hear God
As someone who's struggled with intrusive thought OCD my entire life silence was avoided at all costs. The fear of the unwanted thoughts or images that run through your brain like a racecar on a track. The guilt and shame that stains your day and leads to depression from something that you didn't even do. The constant worry and anxiety throughout the day cause you to think your thoughts will come true. These are harsh realities for anyone battling OCD and most coping mechanisms are distractions to not think anymore. If you are someone who struggles with this also, then you know that it keeps you in a constant state of fear. Battling your mind to be silent will cause you to shut down and disassociate at times. Through my journey towards Christ, I have learned that I can be in silence more, and yes I still struggle but I have times where I can sit for over an hour with him in peace. That's something 6 months ago that would've felt impossible.
First, before we get into spending time in silence and listening for God, we must look at our surroundings. Our world is filled with noise and distractions; TV, music, social media, games, podcasts, texting, YouTube, and so on. I am someone who is getting better at cutting these out but still struggles with them. I ask you to evaluate how much noise and distractions you have throughout the day. How much time do you drive in silence or how much time do you spend at home with the TV on? I used to go a whole day in no silence. I'd go to sleep with the TV on, I'd drive to work with podcasts or music playing, watch TV during my lunch break at work, and have the TV on from the time I got home until I woke up the next day. This might sound familiar to many of you reading this or someone you know. I suggest starting small by limiting some of these to a time limit and eventually cutting them out for a day. If your commute to work isn't long then either on the way there or the way home drive in silence. Cut out your TV time at home by 30 minutes up to one hour. You could use that time to do a task that needs to be done or read a book. I suggest to ease your way into canceling out the noise.
Now that we've talked about limiting noise in our surroundings, let's dive into spending that silence with God. When I started the Advent challenge on the Exodus 90 app in December one of the disciplines was to spend 20 minutes in silent prayer every day. I was so afraid of this, I wanted to deepen my relationship with Jesus more than anything but this scared me. The cold showers on Fridays or the fasting and abstaining from meat on Wednesdays and Fridays didn't bother me but that 20 minutes of silence did. I dreaded that moment every day in the beginning. Those 20 minutes felt like an hour, but as time went on it got easier and more fruitful. One of the other disciplines was to do one holy hour a week in adoration. I had never done adoration before so I didn't know what to expect sitting in there for an hour. I learned very quickly that an hour in silence in the Presence of Jesus was life-changing and honestly not enough time. I was blown away that I felt so calm and peaceful in silence for a whole hour. My 20 minutes of silence became a staple from then on and I developed a better relationship with Jesus from it. I started to learn what prayer was and I got to feel him with me during that time. I recommend starting your journey to silence in adoration with Jesus. His presence will calm your mind and you will feel a peace that only he can give you. The other recommendation I have is to pray a silent rosary everyday where you contemplate on the mysteries of the rosary. Spending 20 minutes in silence with the Blessed Virgin Mary is a great way to quiet the mind and listen for God.
God is always speaking to us we just have too much noise in our life to hear him. Let’s take a look at the Prophet Elijah hearing the voice of God.
“And he said, “Go forth, and stand upon the mount before the Lord.” And behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind tore the mountains, and broke in pieces the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake; and after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire a still small voice. And when Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. And behold, there came a voice to him, and said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” - 1 Kings 19:11-13”
A still small voice or a gentle whisper is how the Lord spoke to Elijah. He was not in the wind, fire, or earthquake but in a still small whisper. The wind, earthquake, and fire are the noise in our lives. If we want to hear God we need to be silent enough to hear a whisper clearly. From my experience with silent prayer, I have developed a relationship I never knew I could have with God. I had always heard about this type of relationship but it felt unattainable to me until I learned to be in silence and listen for him. In my opinion, if you want to deepen your relationship with Jesus and have a lively prayer life then it starts with silence.
I want to add that the thoughts will still happen and probably will always be there but that does not mean that you can't learn to sit in silence with God. The enemy will throw curveballs and bring about intrusive thoughts. When those thoughts come I recommend offering them up to God and asking him to quiet your mind and put all your focus on him. I also recommend speaking to your priest for more spiritual guidance on this or finding a good therapist (catholic if possible) to help you process the roots of these thoughts and can help you heal. I'm praying for anyone who struggles with OCD and for anyone who struggles with silence. I want you to know that you are not your thoughts and you are not alone.
