Psalms 46:10 ESV
"Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the
nations, I will be exalted in the earth!"
Every day we are surrounded by noise. The day begins by an alarm clock
rudely interrupting our precious sleep dictating the precise moment that we’re
supposed to wake up. Of
course we press snooze 8 or 9 times before rolling out of bed. Then it starts… noise controls our day
whether it’s the air conditioner or the refrigerator, the radio or the
TV. We leave our houses
just in time to hear car doors slamming, children playing, and adults
arguing. We get in our cars
and turn the key giving the engine permission to sing as the fan harmonizes and
the air conditioner tries to keep up. Out
of habit we turn on the radio almost convinced that it is an essential part of
operating a motor vehicle.
It’s no wonder that when by chance a moment of silence
comes we hurry past it into the comfort of noise like a person puts on clothes
to avoid being naked. And
then we wonder why it’s so hard to hear God speaking when we pray. The Bible says, “Be still and know
that I am God”. For someone
to embrace silence it is a discipline at the very least and a gift at the
most. I mean we even expect
God to speak or move in a loud or “noisy” way just short of a fireworks
display. Yet God chooses
and almost prefers to speak out of the silence or stillness.
We see this concept in 1 Kings 19 when Elijah is
hiding out in the mouth of the cave. The
Lord calls Elijah to stand on the mountain for he was about to pass by. As
Elijah stands there a great and powerful wind tore the mountains and rocks
apart, but God wasn’t in the wind. Then
there was an earthquake, but God wasn’t in the earthquake. Then came a fire, but God wasn’t in
the fire. After all of that,
the Bible says that then came a gentle whisper. When Elijah heard it he pulled his
cloak over his face and went out to the mouth of the cave. Then a voice said to him, “what are
you doing here Elijah?”
God could have chosen to speak in any of those other
loud and commanding ways, but He chose “a gentle whisper”. Why? I think a big reason is God desires
closeness, He desires relationship, He desires intimacy. We are programmed in our culture to
get the answer, the assignment, or the order and move on quickly to the next
thing. Time is everything,
efficiency is key. Figure
out how to quickly down load something from God and move on. It’s like He’s a cosmic gum ball
machine. Put a quarter in
and out pops your answer.
Yet sometimes it’s not about the answer and it’s not
about the question, it’s just about being… being with Him. And that’s it… No big revelation, no word
from God for the day, and no intersession for the saints… just stillness. God challenged me with this concept the other
morning in my prayer time. I was alone pacing the sanctuary; at least I hope I
was alone, just talking out loud to God. I was voicing frustration about having
a hard time connecting with Him experientially in my one-on-one times with Him.
He started showing me a mindset I have that says, “I need to do something or
perform well for God to come close”. He asked me to just be still, don’t pray,
don’t journal, don’t read, just be still. I've been trying to take 20 minutes a
day and force myself to do this. It’s not natural but it’s rewarding and its
forcing me to change a mindset that’s been engrained in me for a long time.
Quietness can be the most awkward feeling, or it can
be soothing and intimate. Someone
once interviewed Mother Theresa asking her, “so when you talk to God what do
you say?” She answered, “I don’t say anything… I listen”. “Ok”, he said, “So…
when God talks to you what does He say?” “He doesn't say anything… He listens”,
she replied.
What a concept! To be in the company of God and not to
be compelled to interrupt the silence, but to embrace it... to embrace
Him. A quote from the movie
Ever After says, “Do not speak unless
you can improve the silence.” Obviously prayer is powerful, especially praying
out loud, but I'm convinced that the deeper my intimacy and quietness is with
God the more on target my prayers will be. So let’s make a habit of pushing
pause on the noise of the world around us and entering the place of silence
that God desires for us.
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