Would you rather spend fifteen minutes in silent prayer or receive an electric shock? That’s a no brainer, right? Of course, we would rather spend fifteen minutes connecting with God than experience a jolt of electricity. Or would we?
In their wonderful book, Lead with Prayer, the authors describe a study conducted with a group of people inviting them to spend fifteen minutes alone with their thoughts. The participants were told to set aside their phones and have no outside distractions. They were to remain seated and awake, and the only entertainment on hand was one small button.
Participants were warned that if they pressed the button, they would receive a minor electric shock. Before the study began, every member of the group already indicated they would pay money to avoid a similar shock.
What the study revealed is fascinating. When given the option of sitting in silence for fifteen minutes or shocking themselves, 67% of men and 25% of women self-administered the electric shock. “People prefer doing to thinking,” the research team concluded, “even if what they are doing is so unpleasant they would normally pay to avoid it” (Lead with Prayer, 95).
Our human desire for action over silence and solitude often impacts our prayer lives. Many of us have become addicted to those subtle hits of dopamine as we react like Pavlov’s dog in salivating over the ding of our phones. We have grown accustomed to busyness, scrolling, and spending countless hours watching reels on Facebook, Instagram, or TikTok. Our days are filled with activity, action, and constant stimuli. To put it simply, we are doers.
Be honest: Would you be more likely to push the button and shock yourself rather than learn to sit in silence with God? Indeed, prayer is more difficult than an electric shock for many of us.
Here’s my challenge for you. Develop the muscle of silence. Set a timer on your phone for two minutes, and sit in silent prayer until the timer goes off. The next day, set your timer for three minutes, and then four, and then longer. Someone who struggled with sitting in silence before the Lord tried this practice, and now he sets his timer for thirty minutes every day as he listens in silence before God. He says it generally takes around ten minutes for his soul to quiet down, his mind to stop racing, and the still, quiet voice of God’s Spirit to be heard (ibid., 96).
It takes time and effort to develop the muscle of silence. And yet, if we don’t make time for silence, we are unlikely to hear from God. Begin developing your muscle of silence even today.
“And rising very early in the morning, while it was still dark, he departed
and went out to a desolate place, and there he prayed” (Mark 1:35, ESV).
