I love the holidays. They are filled with so much love, joy, and most importantly family. Family is everywhere. Kids are running around. Adults laughing and conversing. The sound of pots, pans, and music resounds throughout the house. It’s wonderful, but the noise makes it very hard to hear.
Now, if your mother calls you from the kitchen during the celebration and you are in your bedroom upstairs, it is highly unlikely that you will hear her. The issue is not your ability to recognize her voice. The issue is your environment. Alternatively, imagine if you all were the only two people in the house and you went to where she was. You would not only hear your mom, but her voice would be very clear. It’s the same way with God. You cannot expect to hear Him, if you are distant and your life is cluttered with a whole bunch of “noise”.
Today, I want to encourage you to change your environment.
Why we need quiet (absence of noise or bustle; silence; calm)?
We need to position ourselves to hear from God. We need to listen for Him. He may not always speak in a loud overt tone. In fact, more often than not, He chooses to speak in a still small voice. I love 1 Kings 19, because it perfectly illustrates how God speaks.
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.
When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave. Then a voice said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”
1 Kings 19: 11-13 NIV
Elijah could have easily been distracted by the wind, earthquake, and fire, but instead he chose to wait on God’s voice. Have you been waiting on God’s voice? If not, what has you distracted? Identify the “noise” in your life. Is it social media, podcasts, YouTube, friends, family, activity, work, dreams, etc.? It’s time to turn down the “noise” and prioritize the Lord. Because if you’re anything like me, you NEED to hear from God.
How to quiet life down?
- Acknowledge that you know the voice of God. If you have accepted Jesus as your Savior, you know His voice. Despite the enemy’s lies, God does speak to you.
I am the good shepherd; I know my own sheep, and they know me, just as my Father knows me and I know the Father. So I sacrifice my life for the sheep.
My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.
John 10: 14 -15, 27 NLT
2. Go away to a quiet place. As believers, we should model our lives after the life of Jesus. Jesus often retreated to quiet places to be alone with the Father. This is not an invitation to be isolated indefinitely. Jesus was not a recluse. In fact, He spent a lot of His ministry with people. He simply prioritized His time with the Father. We should do the same.
Before daybreak the next morning, Jesus got up and went out to an isolated place to pray.
Mark 1:35 NLT
But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.
Luke 5:16 NIV
3. Learn to quiet yourself. There will be times in life when we cannot physically retreat to a quiet space. Instead, we will have to quiet the chaos in our hearts and minds. The great thing about God is that He is present everywhere and nowhere absent. So, He can meet you wherever you are.
Prayer
Father, thank you for the ability to hear from You. Our lives are filled with so much distracting clutter, but You are who we really need. Please help us to value you more. Father, I pray for the person reading this right now. Thank You for knowing the course they should take. Thank You for identifying their specific need. I ask that You prick their hearts. Show them what they need to eliminate to hear from You. Empower them by the Holy Spirit to walk away from anything that is causing Your Words to fall on deaf ears. Father, please shield them from any voices that are not Your own. Please continue to cover and protect them. Draw them closer to You. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen.
Big hugs,
Ayanna