Right now, I'm sitting by the fireplace, early this morning, as the sun comes up.
The only thing breaking the complete silence is the sound of the frig running and the clicking of the keyboard as I type my thoughts out.
Even though I have been programmed to always have noise in my life, it is critical that I get out of the noise each day, so I can sit in silence and listen for the inward voice of the Holy Spirit as I read the Word and talk with God.
I have a feeling I'm not alone in this "hard to find silence" society we live in. We have been programmed to always need noise from the moment we wake until the moment we fall asleep.
Resting and hearing in silence is something we have to work for. As our noise culture gets louder and louder with each passing day, we must make space to sit in silence. For silence is the best way to hear the small whisper of God's voice.
I am reminded of the story of Elijah in the Bible. As he sat...alone in the silence...a strong wind came rushing in, tearing rocks apart...the equivalent of the tornadoes of today. But he didn't hear the voice of God in the loud, tornado-like experience.
This was followed by an earthquake. As the mountain shook and creaked under the stress of the systemic shifts that were happening, the voice of God was not heard.
The noise was still not over. A crackling, burning fire appeared. As the air filled with smoke and the fire consumed what lay in its pathway, God's voice was not heard.
But then the silence returned. And the stillness of the moment created a platform on which Elijah could hear God's voice and talk with Him as a child does with his or her father. A still...small...voice...almost like a whisper that you must be quiet to hear.
Let me ask you (and me) a question. Do you have a time each day where you pull away from the noise and listen to the voice of God? Do you have quiet time where you talk with Jesus in the stillness of the moment?
As you make time each day to slow down, eliminate the noise and then listen for awhile...you will hear the small whisper of the voice of God.
Silence is the hearing place.
