After the natural disasters which coincided with the death of Jesus Christ had subsided, the survivors sat in total darkness. They couldn’t see, but they could hear one another:
There was great mourning and howling and weeping among all the people continually; yea, great were the groanings of the people.
3 Nephi 8:23
But the noise stopped when they heard a voice. It was Jesus Christ, reporting the extent of the devastation across many cities, explaining the reason for it, and inviting the people to come unto Him and be healed. (See 3 Nephi 9.)
That sobering yet hopeful declaration instantly changed the demeanor of the people:
And after these sayings there was silence in the land for the space of many hours;
For so great was the astonishment of the people that they did cease lamenting and howling for the loss of their kindred which had been slain; therefore there was silence in all the land for the space of many hours.
3 Nephi 10:1-2
“Be still, and know that I am God,” read the ancient psalm. (See Psalm 46:10; see also Doctrine and Covenants 101:16.) Soon, these people would hear the voice of the Father and would testify that “it was not a harsh voice, neither was it a loud voice” (3 Nephi 11:3). They would need to be quiet and attentive in order to hear and understand it.
How long can you be silent? I don’t just mean avoiding speech. I mean reducing the noise around you and the noise in your own mind. We have a natural aversion to boredom and a tendency to fill our lives with busyness and stimulation. What would happen if you simply slowed down for a while? What would happen if, like these Nephites and Lamanites, you were to simply sit in silence for an extended period of time? What new insights would you gain? What wounds in your soul would begin to heal? How would you change?
Elder David A. Bednar shared an experience leading a tour of a newly constructed temple. Before entering the celestial room, he asked the group not to speak while in that room. Afterward, a journalist said to him, “I did not know quiet like that existed in the world; I simply did not believe such stillness was possible” (“Be Still, and Know That I Am God,” General Conference, April 2024).
A popular Christmas carol includes the following promise:
How silently, how silently
“O Little Town of Bethlehem,” Hymns, 208
The wondrous gift is giv’n!
So God imparts to human hearts
The blessings of his heav’n.
No ear may hear his coming;
But in this world of sin,
Where meek souls will receive him, still
The dear Christ enters in.
Today, I will be silent. I will make time to slow down and to quiet the noise in my life so that I can open my heart to the wonders and the joys which come softly.