by J. Brent Bill

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review by Tim Satterfield

MY KNOWLEDGE of the discipline of silence was primarily what my dad taught me as a youngster—“Sit down and be quiet!” I had no idea that the benefit of this command was more than a way to avoid his punishment. However, whether dad knew it or not, he was telling me to do what God would one day tell me—“Sit down, son; and be quiet.”

What can we say about silence except that our knowledge and practice of it seems to continually decrease? It was for this reason I happily accepted the offer to read and review J. Brent Bill's most recent book, Holy Silence. It was my hope that this would help me understand and practice a discipline that was not a part of my life. Thankfully, I can say that Holy Silence fulfilled my hopes by providing education and motivation for practicing silence.

Many church traditions teach that prayer is talking to God. They say to listen to God, but there is little instruction in doing it. Unless your history is in the Friends Church (or other Christian group that practices the discipline of silence), you possibly know little about being silent before God. When you hear about it and try to practice it, you might struggle. Concentrating on not verbally speaking to God can become the focus of “quietude” and rob you from the blessings that come from waiting silently before God.

Holy Silence is a very helpful resource for beginning and developing a life that includes silence before God. Brent Bill describes benefits, methods, and techniques for practicing silence. One point he made that I found especially valuable is that there are no rulebooks to practicing silence (p. 82). I tend to look for guidelines to follow, but Holy Silence reminded me that can distract from the proper focus—God.

Though the author advocates freedom in the methods of practicing silence, he gives specific instructions for those who need it. He says to begin with the expectation of encountering God; believe that God communes with those who seek him. Be still and be quiet. Do not put up any requests, nor cherish any desire. He even describes breathing techniques.

Holy Silence effectively communicates the need for and the ability to hear what God has to personally say to each of his children. Silence, like the Bible, is a means of God telling his people what we need to hear to be able to fulfill his purposes in our day. Holy Silence not only addresses individual silence, it also helps to put into practice group silence where we can hear God corporately.

How do I know that Brent Bill is a credible source to teach about silence? He is a Friends minister and author of numerous books and magazine articles. He is also a writing instructor and coach, as well as a popular speaker and retreat leader. To learn more about him, you might visit his Web site. In addition, in August the author will respond to your questions and comments in the Barclay Press Conversation Café online book discussion.

A few times I thought the book focused on a Friends audience so much that other readers might feel like “outsiders.” However, it did not take long for that discomfort to pass. That was the only negative experience I had as I read.

If I could grade this book on ease of reading, understanding, and application, I would grade it as excellent. Did it tell me everything I wanted to know about the discipline of silence? No, but it did tell me enough to get started and it whetted my appetite to know more.

I will reference this book (at least mentally) for a long time. It has made it possible for me to practice silence in a productive way. With the “Quietude Queries,” I was actually quiet before God. I did not ask him to do anything but speak to me, and he did just that several times! No, I did not hear an audible voice, but I am sure that it was God. Some of the thoughts that came could be from no one else. It is quite a blessing to know that God is communicating with you.

I highly recommend Holy Silence to anyone who wants to know how to practice the discipline of silence and hear God's voice.

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