The Power of a Quiet Spirit

I saw a commercial on TV the other day advertising a new Kia, and at the end of the commercial were these three words–“Silence is Powerful.” As I was thinking about this phrase, I realized that–like anything else–silence can be used for good and for evil. For example, nonverbal communication is done silently, and it can convey a positive message or a negative message or even an indifferent message, and it comprises up to 93% of all communication. An article published on Feb 18, 2020, titled, “Nonverbal Communication: How Body Language & Nonverbal Cues Are Key,” states:

There have been a number of studies on the complex topic of nonverbal communication with varying results. However, most experts agree that 70 to 93 percent of all communication is nonverbal. (Quote source here.)

In an article published on January 4, 2023, titled “10 Types of Nonverbal Communication with Examples,” the article opens with the following information:

Effective communication and correctly identifying the nonverbal cues when having meetings or hot discussions is essential. We often try to hide our emotions, feelings, and ideas but our bodies still send some subtle messages.

Establishing relationships on a professional and personal level requires effective communication abilities. Verbal and nonverbal communication are the two main categories and this blog will focus mainly on the non-verbal aspect of communication.

Nonverbal communication is frequently unintentional but may reveal a great deal about individuals and situations, even though most of us are aware of it and utilize it frequently.

Learning the types of nonverbal communication means that you can get better at reading body language. However odd it may seem; we all display behaviors that have the same function during stressful situations and not only. Emotions are universal.

Nonverbal communication or body language is the use of gestures, tone of voice, expressions, body posture, and so on to send a message. But why are these wireless cues so important to identify?

Body language is an essential part of communication and it helps you send an emotion or feeling to other people.

Depending on how you sound and act, you can put people at ease, draw them to you, build trust, or make them be afraid or have a negative impression on you.

Body language is a key part of communication that is important not only in a personal area when talking with your family, spouse, or children. It is essential in your job too. Business people and managers get huge benefits if they are aware of nonverbal communication…. (Quote source and the complete of article are available here.)

As I was looking up articles on the topic of silence, I came upon an article titled, “The Power of a Quiet Spirit,” on BelovedWomen.org. The article describes a quiet spirit as follows:

A quiet spirit is a heart that can pause, that can intentionally focus on the present, be in the moment and enjoy the simplicity of life. It’s a heart that can release control to God and surrender to Him. 

A quiet spirit does not mean you just shut up and never talk. A quiet spirit is deeper than your words. You can never speak a word and your soul will be just as restless. 

A quiet spirit is a mind that has nothing to prove, nothing to gain, nothing to lose. It doesn’t worry about yesterday or tomorrow. It’s a heart that can trust God to be God and surrender its limitations to God’s greater power.

Now that we know what a quiet spirit is, today I want to share with you a few reasons why this type of spirit is so powerful. (Quote source here.)

The author of this article lists five reasons why a quiet spirit is so powerful and explains each reason. I will list the five reasons below, and explanations for each are available to read at this link.

Here is the list:

1. A quiet spirit gives wisdom (Proverbs 29:11).
2. A quiet spirit helps you hear from God (1 Kings 19:11-14; Psalms 46:2-3).
3. A quiet spirit gives room for God to fight for you (Exodus 14:14; 1 Thessalonians 5:24).
4. A quiet spirit will help you win others over (1 Peter‬ ‭3:3-4).
5. A quiet spirit creates an atmosphere of peace (Proverbs 15:1).

A quiet spirit doesn’t mean that you’re weak. It means that your trust is in the strength of your God and not yourself and that is more powerful than any puffed-up words will ever accomplish. Anyone can yell and scream. Anyone can get defensive and pop off at the mouth. Anyone can give full vent to their emotions. Those things don’t prove anything.

But when we have a sincere surrender to God’s control of our life, instead of trying to control ourselves and others, we’ll develop a quiet spirit that will empower us to operate in wisdom, to hear the voice of God, to make room for God to fight for us, to win others over and to create an atmosphere of peace in our lives. (Quote source here.)

While silence can convey many things (as well as using it to try and control others), a quiet spirit trusts in God allowing God to work in any situation, and it does not try to defend itself. That is very hard for us to do (e.g., not try to defend ourselves) when the heat is on in any type of communication, miscommunication, or confrontation.

In an article published on September 20, 2022, titled, “A Gentle and Quiet Spirit,” by Maggie Fields on ReclaimToday.org, she writes:

God has been using this year to reveal an abundance of wrong thinking in me. Thoughts about my family, my relationships, my church, the Bible, and God, himself. I’ve been praying for God to renew my mind and to restore broken things, and in typical God-fashion, he didn’t start where I expected….

Recently, God prompted me to uncover what it means to have a “gentle and quiet spirit,” as Peter discusses in 1 Peter 3:1-6. Over the years, this passage has been used to champion submission, modesty, and other Biblical concepts which aren’t inherently bad, but have sometimes been misused to keep women in a holding pattern of fear and shame, especially verses 3 and 4: “Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as elaborate hairstyles and the wearing of gold jewelry or fine clothes. Rather, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight.”

For the first 19 years of my life, I wrongly interpreted these verses to mean my purpose as a woman was to stay out of the way. To not draw attention to myself, to not inconvenience others with my appearance or my presence. I viewed myself as something to be concealed: body, mind, and soul.

This looked like picking clothes that were two sizes too big for me because I thought it was more modest to wear baggy, unflattering clothes. Or keeping my writing to myself because I thought it was prideful to share my thoughts and gifts with the world. 

As I revisited these familiar words, I heard the Holy Spirit whisper that having a “gentle and quiet spirit” does not mean you must be a wallflower. It doesn’t mean you have nothing to say or that you always go along with what everyone else wants. It doesn’t mean you have to make yourself small or hide behind false humility. Even more shocking was the realization that having a gentle and quiet spirit actually calls us to live confidently in all of life’s circumstances.

God highly values our faith and confidence in him. 1 Peter gives us two examples of this confidence, giving life to our understanding of what it means to have a gentle and quiet spirit. (Quote source here. She explains more on 1 Peter 3:5-6 in her post at this link.)

I’ll end this post with the words from 1 Peter 3:4 (ESV): … but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of…

A gentle and quiet spirit . . .

Which in God’s sight . . .

Is very precious . . . .

YouTube Video: “Waymaker” by Michael W. Smith ft. Vanessa Campagna & Madelyn Berry:

Photo #1 credit here
Photo #2 credit here