I love all my gadgets and widgets, my beeps and bops and all the many tools I use to make sure I’m always connected all the time. But there is a danger—all these technological tools tend to feed my idolatry. From Mark Driscoll:
As I drifted off to sleep, it dawned on me that I had not had one minute of silence during my entire day. It was possible, I realized, that I could live the rest of my life without ever again experiencing silence.
In that moment, God deeply convicted me that I was addicted to the false trinity of our day, the gods known as Noise, Hurry, and Crowds. I remembered the words of missionary martyr Jim Elliot, who said, “I think the devil has made it his business to monopolize on three elements: noise, hurry, crowds . . . Satan is quite aware of the power of silence.”
The Bible also describes multiple benefits of purposeful silence, including:
- hearing from God (1 Kings 19:11–13)
- waiting patiently for the Lord to act (Lamentations 3:25–28)
- worshiping God (Habakkuk 2:20)
- knowing God better (Psalm 46:10)
- praying effectively (Luke 5:16)
Since God convicted me of my addiction to noise, I have sought to conform my life more to the pattern of Jesus’, which has proven quite helpful. I try to spend at least five minutes an hour in silence, at least thirty minutes in uninterrupted silence each day, and a full day in silence once a month. During those times I find myself going for silent prayer walks to listen to God, writing in my journal, and sometimes doing nothing at all, which for me has become an act of faith that God is at work even when I am not.
Read the whole thing. Of course Mark is not talking about just technology, but all the many ways in which we avoid the silences that surround us. But for me, technology is my number-one crutch.
Vern Poythress makes some similar remarks, though with a slightly different focus. From a secular perspective, Peter Sagal has some thoughts on the subject.
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Great thoughts. The shoe fits here.