I recently watched Rob Bell's video entitled "Noise", in which he talks about our desperate need for silence and solitude in order to connect with God in our very noisy world. I have been very fascinated recently with the idea that silence and darkness often precede transformation in nature. Just a few examples . . . a butterfly emerging from a cocoon. . . a seed emerging from the ground . . .and a baby emerging from the womb. It has also been my experience that spiritual transformation is often preceded by seasons of silence and darkness. I remember that before I was called into ministry there was a season of breaking ties with an old life, drowning in confusion, wanting answers in prayer, but dreading what God would say when He broke the silence. It seemed like a period of inactivity, but it turned out to be a period of incubation. This causes me to ask the following question: If we are not spending time in silence and solitude, are we stunting our own spiritual growth?
