Meditate on the silence of Jesus. See if you need the healing His silence produces... Let’s start with a practical example.

On the day of writing this exercise, I spilled my Starbucks coffee on my cream colored living room rug. In addition to the coffee, it also contained cream, chocolate syrup and black strap molasses. Quite the stain cocktail. When this happened I was not silent. I started admonishing myself outloud pretty quickly and pretty sternly. “What is wrong with you? Pay attention! What in the world are you doing?! Why aren’t you more careful? Look what you’ve done! What in the world? How can you be so careless?” And so on and so forth for about a good five minutes as I rushed to get the steam cleaner set up.

Question #1 for you. Do you talk to yourself or others this way? Has or does anyone talk to you this way?

I stopped myself in my tirade when I remembered that a couple of weeks ago God helped me get through a similar situation where I self-condemned. I remembered his sweetness and gentle way with me. He helped me see how my negative self-talk was destructive and based upon lies. He helped me reframe my thoughts to realize I merely made a simple mistake. Its amazing how big of a deal we can make of simple mistakes!  But I'd been talked to in very harsh ways in my past and I learned to talk to myself in that same harsh way. 

Are in the habit of talking to yourself or others this way over little things?  What does your self-talk sound like?  Consider how self-defeating this language is for bigger things.

Question #2 for you- Did you know that God’s presence brings a silence that graciously stills, soothes, calms, and heals? Do you invite Him into negative talk to help you? Do you want to experience his silence that heals? If yes, read on for the exercises!

Prep for exercises- Jesus has a character that was often silent in the face of his accusers. Often Jesus held his tongue. When people hurled insults at him, he did not retaliate. When he suffered unjustly, he made no threats. Spit in his face? Silent. Mock him and beat the crown of thorns into his head? Silent. Jesus modeled that turnabout is NOT fair play. He could have defended himself, easily broken free, and turned the tables, publicly exposing and humiliating his followers who abandoned him and his accusers. Instead he was silent as he suffered. He displayed a poverty of speech that condemns not, John 3:17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.

No brow beating, just relief that comes from His merciful silence in the face of your accusations, fears, failures, and weaknesses! Jesus does not accuse. He endured an untold level of mental, emotional, and physical abuse in order to identify with your pain, to take your pain.

How does he take your pain? He invites burdened hearts to come to him. He invites those overwhelmed by sin, negative self-talk, guilt and shame to come experience mind, heart, and soul renewal.

Instead of harsh rebuke, your confession of need will be met with tender mercy, undeserved kindness, and supernatural cleansing. To know He does humiliate and accuse is GOOD NEWS!

If you want God’s healing silence that accuses not, try these simple steps:
1- PRAY- “Jesus I need your help. I want need your good news to flood my heart in exchange for the bad news I rehearse. Please reveal to me how I get caught up mercilessly berating myself or others.”
2- Meditate- Think about some negative language/beliefs you are speaking/rehearsing to yourself or others. Write a few of those phrases down on a piece of paper. Notice how self-defeating and destructive they are.
3- PRAY- “Jesus you do not condemn. Renew my mind and heart. I want to experience the healing silence of your holy presence, love and mercy. I invite you right now. Please come.”
4- Now wait quietly. Still yourself as you wait, by inhaling and exhaling deeply. On the inhale say to yourself, “Jesus.” On the exhale say to yourself, “heal me.” Just wait there expecting the healing silence of His presence.
5- End by thanking Him and inviting Him to keep guiding you. “Thank you God. Be with me and guide me now.”