Sixty Seconds of Silence
Life is loud! The cacophony of sounds, relentless pace, and avalanche of demands can leave us exhausted. That’s why, a few years ago - alongside my daily times of prayer - I started practising a simple, daily habit: the sixty-second silence. And this brief moment of stillness has really helped the way I go through my day.
How It Works
The inspiration for the new practice came from reading Psalm 131, where David makes an intentional decision: "But I have calmed and quieted myself" (Psalm 131:2).
The sixty-second silence is a pretty easy thing to do. I begin by slowing my breathing, consciously releasing any tension in my body. I let the background noise fade away and clear my mind - forgetting about those unanswered emails, that difficult conversation coming up, or distractions like what’s for dinner or my fantasy football line-up! I say a simple prayer: “God, I invite you into this moment. Help my soul to catch up with you”. Then, I take a deep breath, exhale slowly, and settle into the stillness.
The Challenge of Silence
Finding silence is often harder than it seems (at least it was for me!). The world constantly vies for our attention - emails, social media, news headlines, and the endless demands of others. Even our times of rest are anything but quiet!
But that’s exactly why silence is so impactful - and I’ve found that this one-minute pause serves as a powerful antidote to the noise of modern life.
At first, the silence felt uncomfortable for me. My mind would race ahead - planning something, worrying about something, or even brainstorming something! And sixty seconds, bizarrely, felt like quite a long time! But with time and practice, I’ve come to cherish it. And what once felt awkward, and even difficult, has become a deep breath for my soul - a moment in the madness to reset and still my soul in the presence of God.
A Simple Invitation
We live in a world that seldom stops; our minds are wired for constant activity. But what if, for just sixty seconds - once or twice a day - we chose stillness? What if we paused, just for one minute, to quiet our thoughts and realign our hearts? Try it today! Set a timer. Dismiss distractions. Invite God in. Breathe deeply. And just pause. And who knows? In the silence, you might finally hear what God has been saying all along!