Most of the problems we face from day to day take place in a chaotic atmosphere, or they are sown by chaos, and we can’t easily get rid of the thoughts afterward. We have been given the power to enjoy huge blessings as we learn to live with His inner peace and we cultivate appropriate silence. We don’t have to let the babble of this world creep into our minds and hearts to distract us from the reason we are here.
When I am not deliberately watching something on TV, I turn it off. I had to learn to love silence. Actually, my brain makes more sense out of this life when there is very little noise! I learnt this blessing, when the last of my three children went off to school. My house seemed like a morgue. The first day I laid on the floor and cried my eyes out – but then I got up and went about my daily routine, and I turned on the telly, or the radio for ‘company.’
That was fine, but over time I discovered that I knew the latest ad jingle better than anything else, and I began to hear the Lord’s voice less frequently. Not good! Anything that is not good, by the way, is not God — He is where good comes from. Weeks went by, and His peace became more elusive. At the same time, I was struggling with the kind of grief that comes when one area of your life changes, and you know it won’t or can’t change back again. So, as a last resort, I decided to bite the bullet, go cold turkey and turn everything off. Man, was that hard? Mainly because I was so used to ambient noise. However, I persevered and things began to turn around, including my quiet times.
Now, every day silence is like an old friend. My dear hubby leaves me by myself to tap away on the computer, while I’m writing this blog in total silence, every single morning. I hear the Lord far more clearly when there is nothing distracting going on. I’d never want to condemn anyone … I totally understand how the distractions of this life can help someone survive something difficult. The thing is, for me, it was very detrimental to my overall spiritual health, and I found a far greater benefit in treasuring silence.
Those “still waters” of Psalm 23, plus Psalm 46’s call to “be still and know that He is God,” helped me. Every single day. Silence became “my secret place” of refuge. I’ve found I can far more easily be “only a spectator” like Psalm 91 says … when I prioritise silence. Hilariously, I’ve been known as a chatterbox, and I talked very early. Yet, as an adult, I found “my strength” came from cultivating His silence, inside and out. Now when His silence leaves, so does my peace! But now I can do something about it. This virtually unrecognised trait has become one of those many riches Christ has given to all of us. I recommend valuing it, because this world has so much froth and bubble, and silence can help keep you sane!
At the same time I believe we have also lost the value of standing still, knowing we have the Lord Jesus’ and His righteousness on our side. The bible says that like this “…having done all, stand. (Ephesians 6.) We do whatever He tells us to do and then we simply quietly, confidently, stand. That other guy may try to jump up and down waving his arms at us trying to distract us from simply waiting for the Lord. Sometimes we can make so much noise trying to get rid of the enemy …we can’t possibly hear Jesus. Meanwhile satan is delighted with the adverse publicity! ‘Standing’ is all about believing God when He speaks to us and waiting for Him to do what He said He would do.
Abraham knew how to do these things, this man had incredible faith in God, in the middle of impossible circumstances. He is called the Father of our faith – His faith was that strong. He knew the value of silence and standing still and listening to God. Just pause and think about how much fun that must have been for his wife, Sarah! Abraham was often away somewhere talking with God, and the Lord gave him tremendous promises. This man chose to believe Almighty God, in spite of his circumstances, and he was made righteous by his belief in God’s words. However, maybe Sarah’s faith was not all that strong?
The Lord was very serious with Sarah. Let’s quickly look at her experience, when three strangers announced that these two geriatrics would have a child. We quickly see that they are two different people who happen to be married to each other, and they each have different responses to God’s word. Three strangers turn up to predict Isaac’s birth in Genesis 18:10 -15… “Now Sarah was listening at the entrance to the tent, which was behind him… Abraham and Sarah were already very old, and Sarah was past the age of childbearing … So Sarah laughed to herself …(and then she denied it )… “I didn’t laugh.” But the Lord said, “Yes you did; you laughed.” God held Sarah accountable. She would have been better off if she’d stood still and said nothing!
Father God takes what we say seriously. We need to stand on what we tell the Lord we will do, or what He tells us to do, no matter what we feel, or what happens around us. “Don’t take your faith back” – is one of the most useful pieces of advice the Lord has ever given me. Be brave, silent, and stand still. Hold onto Him and hold Him to His word and don’t let go. We can give up too easily, and lose what is ours. Learning to live in silence and stand still, while we are waiting for what He will do next, are two qualities that are greatly underestimated. I’ve learnt to practise them, on purpose. Bye. 👋.
