I was listening to music as I waked one day when suddenly it stopped. I’m not sure what happened but I decided to finish that day’s walk in the quiet. Well, sort of quiet. I did hear things going on around me.
I heard the sounds of traffic, a couple of barking dogs, and lots of birds. I could hear my knees crack, my shoes hitting the pavement, even the sound of my own breathing when I took deep breaths. I heard the sounds of life.
As I thought about that, God began to remind me of the value of getting quiet. I think it’s more important than ever that we build quiet time into our lives. In this modern world it is easy to fall into a trap of being overstimulated by noise. Not only can I listen to music, a podcast or even to someone reading me a book practically anywhere, but we get pings and dings about the most mundane details of the lives of people we don’t even know. It can be constant and overwhelming.
Some of it can’t be avoided and shouldn’t be. I want to be alerted if school is closing early or reminded that I have an upcoming medical appointment. However, we’re not meant to consume that much noise all the time. There are valuable benefits in finding some quiet space in your life. It gives us time to rest. It helps us focus on what we need to hear. It helps us strengthen our faith.
We need not look any further than Jesus for an example of how important it is to turn down the noise. Think about how busy His life was during His three plus years of public ministry. Crowds followed Him. People were forever interrupting Him with their life-and-death problems, and their unending questions. They just needed a glimpse of Him or to touch His clothes.
The multitudes hunted Him. For that reason, Luke 5:15 (NKJV) says, “So He Himself often withdrew into the wilderness and prayed.” Often. Mark 1:35 (NKJV) gives us another glimpse into Jesus carving out quiet time by waking up well before daylight and going to a “solitary” place to pray.
Jesus went out of His way to work in quiet time with the Father. This allowed time to rest from the demands of people and to pray and listen to the Father.
I can’t speak for Jesus, or anyone else for that matter, but I can say that I personally find it difficult to hear God when the noise of the world is too loud. I won’t say it’s impossible because sometimes He speaks through a sermon or a song. But largely my experience is that God is quiet. I hear Him best when I turn off all the excessive noise and give myself a chance to listen. In 1 Kings, when God spoke to Elijah it was in that “still small voice.” It wasn’t in the wind, earthquake, or fire, but a gentle whisper.
In John 10:27, Jesus said, “My sheep hear my voice.” Have you ever been to a concert or sporting event and not been able to hear the person sitting right next you? You know they’re talking but you can’t clearly pick out their voice from the crowd. You can’t hear them for the other noise. I don’t want to be guilty of doing that to Jesus. Whether that’s hearing something audible or reading the Word, the same principle applies. If I’m reading my Bible while watching TV and talking to my kids, well it’s like trying to hear my friend at a concert. I’m just making it more difficult to hear Jesus. Sometimes we simply must turn down the volume and lean in to the quiet.
Isaiah 30:15 tells us, “In quietness and confidence shall be our strength.” I’ve never known of any type of strength coming easily. Sitting ourselves down in the quiet and having the confidence that God will show up isn’t easy either – especially with an enemy creating all the noise he can muster. It’s worth it, though. That’s the sweet spot, the place where we begin to really hear and experience God. Strength is there.
Friend, I know you’re busy. A million things, including me, are vying for a bit of your attention. The noise is deafening. I’m not telling you to live in silence or in the quiet, that can be just as dangerous as the noise. I am telling you to visit it regularly. Find a way. Get up early. Block out a few minutes one day a week.Take an occasional walk without your earbuds. To me, that’s pretty close to the wilderness. You do you, but some regular doses of quiet will do you good.
