Listen to the radio while reading A Tale of Two Cities. The same can be said about God. In our holy times, either alone in our devotions, or corporately, music, vocalized prayers, friendly chatter distract our minds. They lead us in directions God may not have intended us to follow. Obviously we need audible expressions, but silence is needful as well.
Meditation is hard, truly a learned art.
I would have sworn to two things. First, this country was too cold to live in. Second, no sound existed in this tundra. Obviously, I believed wrong. We need to relearn the art of holy silence.