Peace, Be Still

He says, “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” (Psalm 46:10 NIV)

Our world is filled with noise. My mother-in-law is deaf in one ear and nearly without hearing in the other, which is assisted by a hearing aid. It's fascinating how the background noise at a restaurant bothers her. The hearing aid amplifies the music playing in the background and the conversations going on all around into a jumble of noise that causes her to turn the device down. On the other hand, many people spend much of the day with ear buds in their ears, listening to music or podcasts or e-books all day long. It's not unusual at our house to have a smart speaker playing K-LOVE in the background throughout the day.

Some of us are very uncomfortable with silence. We seek to fill the silence with something that takes our mind off the rambling thoughts in our heads. We are bombarded with noise.

In an article titled, The Power of Silence: Why You Need Less Noise for Work and Your Health, by Belle Cooper, she makes the case that excessive noise is bad for our health. Constant interruptions reduce our mind's focus on the task at hand. Silence gives our brain a break. Cooper contends we do our best work in silence, contrary to the teenager somehow doing homework with music blasting in their room or their earphones.

Cooper says, "You can't always escape noise. Sirens will go by, you'll get stuck at an airport for hours, and you can't force your coworkers to be quiet. And sometimes, you'll want to work from a noisy coffeeshop or attend a concert. But when you can, it's worth choosing silence."

God already knew this about us. Perhaps that's part of the reason He moved the sons of Korah, in Psalm 46, to write: He says, “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” The Hebrew for "be still" can be translated "cease striving". Be quiet and settled and enter rest in order to hear the quiet voice of God in your heart. That's what happened with Elijah in 1 Kings, chapter 19:

The LORD said, “Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the LORD, for the LORD is about to pass by.” Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper.

(1 Kings 19:11-12 NIV)

God did not speak to Elijah in the powerful wind or the earthquake or the fire. He spoke in a gentle whisper, a "still, small voice" as translated in the King James Version. Perhaps the fear of what God might say to us in the gentle whisper is one reason we try to fill our world with noise.

In Mark, chapter 6, Jesus sent the twelve disciples out in pairs to spread the Good News in surrounding villages. Verses 30 through 32 record what happened upon their return:

The apostles gathered around Jesus and reported to Him all they had done and taught. Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, He said to them, “Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.” So they went away by themselves in a boat to a solitary place. (Mark 6:30-32 NIV)

Jesus often went off to secluded places to pray. He invited the disciples to come away to a quiet place and rest with Him. He issues us the same invitation!

One way to be intentional in swimming upstream against the noise in our culture is to carve out a daily quiet time to be with Jesus, to read Scripture, to pray and to hear His voice. I have been practicing this daily spiritual discipline for decades, and God forms and shapes my mind and heart as I immerse myself in reading His word and listening for His voice.

In his book, How to Pray: A Simple Guide for Normal People, Pete Greig shares a helpful acronym for a simple prayer life: P-R-A-Y.

Pause - Greig says, "The way to start is to stop." Quiet your mind and body. Breathe deeply. Sit in a quiet place and allow your mind to settle and enter listening mode.

Rejoice - Begin with gratitude, rejoicing in Jesus' presence. Gratitude acknowledges that we know and believe that God is good and that He loves me -- that I am His child.

Ask - Asking is a way of trusting God. It confesses that the sum total of my life is not just about me. This is more than a list of all the stuff we think will make us happy. Asking is trusting the good, good Father to provide all we need. And maybe the biggest and best ask is, "Change my heart, O God".

Yield - Say "yes" to God's will. In yielding I make myself available to live for Him. Part of yielding in the quiet place becomes the place where we can best hear the voice of God, second only to hearing His voice in the scriptures.

Spending 15 to 30 minutes a day in this quiet time begins to allow us to "Be still, and know that I am God." Further steps can involve things like noise-free Fridays for six weeks, fasting from time-gobblers like TV or social media or video games. Spend time like that taking a walk or otherwise giving the gift of stillness to the heart and soul, communing with the God who longs to know you intimately and have you know Him just as deeply.

“Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.” Jesus' invitation still stands. How will you accept His offer?