Three structures reinforce the message to trust in God alone at all times.
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1. Alone/Only Contrast
2. A Progression of Trust
3. Chiastic Structure
Trust in God (vv. 1–2)
Actions of the enemies (vv. 3–4)
Trust in God (vv. 5–8)
Attributes of humans (vv. 9–10)
Trust in God (vv. 11–12)

Three Commands / Imperatives:
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1. Wait in silence (2x)
2. Trust in him
3. Pour out your heart

- Spiritual disciplines, such as silence and solitude, create an arena where the Spirit does battle against sin and evil.

- Spiritual disciplines are what we can do to make room for God to do what we cannot do.

“Our greatest need is to be silent before our great God.”

“Waiting patiently in silent expectation is the foundation of the spiritual life.”

“No large growth in holiness was ever gained by someone who did not take time to often be alone with God in the quiet.”

“Without silence and solitude, it is virtually impossible to live a spiritual life....We do not take the spiritual life seriously if we do not set aside time to be silent before God and listen to him.”

Other Psalms showcasing the spiritual practice of silence:
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Psalm 4:4 Be angry, and do not sin; ponder in your own hearts on your beds, and be silent.

Psalm 37:7 Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him; fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way, over the man who carries out evil devices!

Psalm 39:9 I am mute; I do not open my mouth, for it is you who have done it.

Psalm 46:10 Be still, & know that I am God...

Psalm 131:2 I have calmed and quieted my soul, like a weaned child with its mother; like a weaned child is my soul within me.

Other passages showcasing the spiritual practice of silence:
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Exodus 14:4 The Lord will fight for you, and you have only to be silent.

Habakkuk 2:20 But the Lord is in his holy temple; let all the earth keep silence before him.

Zephaniah 1:7 Be silent before the Sovereign LORD.

1 Kings 19:12 and after the earthquake a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire; and after the fire a sound of sheer silence

The Spiritual Practice of Silence Is:
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- Time alone in the quiet to be with ourselves and God
- Can be both and external and internal silence
- External Silence - silence is observed in order to read, write, worship, etc.
- Internal Silence - inward stillness (free of all inputs) so that God’s voice might be heard

The Spiritual Practice of Silence is Not:
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The spiritual practice of Silence/Solitude is not a private therapeutic place. It is a place of encounter where the old self dies, and the new self is born.

Why the Spiritual Practice of Silence is Needed:
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- The end result of any spiritual practice is to become more like Jesus.

“Silence and solitude are an invitation to commune with God who waits just outside the noise and the busyness of our lives”

Place of Encounter with God
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Reasons we may not practice the discipline of silence and solitude may be because:

- We don’t really want to hear what God has to say.
- Each time we work a “deliverance" of our own, we find it more and more difficult to trust in God.

Place of Encounter with Self
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- When everything is stripped away the real you is revealed.
- Reasons we may not practice the discipline of silence and solitude may be because:

1. We are addicted to accomplishment
2. We don’t like who we are
3. We have an aversion to pain
4. We don’t live in a noisy world

How to Silence: A Pattern from Elijah (1 Kings 19)
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1. Rest & Wait
2. Feel & Name
3. Hear & Be Transformed
4. Reenter & Reengage

How to Silence: A Pattern from Psalm 62
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1. Wait in silence
2. Trust in the Lord
3. Pour out your heart