Good Morning My Friends! I share another personal story today. It’s very special to me. I hope you’ll read my post today.
“In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength” (Isaiah 30:15, NIV).
To make things easier, today’s Scriptures all come from the NIV.
For 15 years I’ve been dating Scripture in my personal Bible. When God reveals a particular verse to me that’s significant and personal for me and my life, I underline the Scripture. Then I write the date in the margin next to it. Almost always I journal about the significance to me and what God revealed to me in those moments with Him.
The above verse was dated on January 25 this year. Another interesting thing I do, well, I think it’s interesting and relevant, is in my journal I note the day and time I write things down. On January 25 at 6 a.m. I penned the above verse. I even highlighted in bright pink! Then I wrote, “This struck me because I know the joy of the Lord is my strength (Nehemiah 8:10). So now I learn even more about strength—where my strength comes from—in the restful, peace, quietness with God.”
True Story Ahead
My first memory of experiencing quietness with God was when I was four years old. It was springtime, and I woke before even the sun was up. Usually if I woke up that early, I’d go snuggle with my mom. This particular morning however, I opened the screen door to our porch and walked outside.
Standing on the top step, I gazed through the quiet and peaceful darkness. No one was outside. Or at least I thought no one was outside except me.
The coolness of the air was refreshing. So I placed my pillow on the bottom step and curled up under my blankie. The cool breeze tickled my nose. I heard the breeze tickling the trees too.
Then a bird flew from one of the trees and began to play. She sang a charming song while dancing through the air. Suddenly, a whole choir of birds joined in singing this beautiful song. I watched as they danced and played. I heard some nearby crickets chirp to the birds’ song. I closed my eyes and listened to their music and felt the rhythm of the world awakening.
Then the sun made a grand entrance into this morning musical. The sky became the background setting with its breathtaking hues of orange, red, and yellow. Surely someone orchestrated this beautiful morning that delighted me. I was positive whoever created this majestic morning liked the music and colorful canvas as much as I did. I even dared to think He liked me too. At four years old I thought the whole production was just for me.
When I think back to that morning, tears easily flow from my eyes because that was my God revealing something incredible about Himself to me alone. There were no other humans around, just me. He spoke to me in a way He knew little four-year old Michelle would notice and understand. In the quietness of that morning, I experienced the playfulness, musical mosaic, beauty, and strength of God in the most magical way.
Importance of Quietness
Solitude is an important discipline for our soul care. God knows this. I believe it’s why He tells us to
“Be still and know that I am God.” (Psalm 46:10)
Quietness is the absence of noise. It’s when life becomes still and silent.
We enter solitude through silence, quietness, and stillness. We have to set no agenda to do anything except spend time with God.
I had no agenda when I was four years old. I simply was drawn to the quietness outside. I just wanted to embrace it. In this quietness, God showed up and gave me a front row seat to best musical production I’ve ever seen. It was a one-time only show. There has never been and never will be that same exact musical ever again.
God wants to reveal Himself to us. He wants us to quiet ourselves so that He can enter our lives.
Practiced Solitude
In biblical times, people practiced solitude all the time.
Moses
“Now Moses used to take a tent and pitch it outside the camp some distance away, calling it the ‘tent of meeting.’ Anyone inquiring of the Lord would go to the tent of meeting outside the camp… The LORD would speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks with his friend.” (Exodus 33:7, 11)
Elijah
“[Elijah] went into a cave and spent the night. And the word of the LORD came to him… a gentle whisper” (1 Kings 19:9, 12).
David
“The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not be in want. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he restores my soul.” (Psalm 23:1-3)
Paul
“God chose me and called me by his marvelous grace… to reveal his Son to me so that I would proclaim the Good News about Jesus to the Gentiles. When this happened, I did not rush out to consult with any human being. Nor did I go up to Jerusalem to consult with those who were apostles before I was. Instead, I went away into Arabia.” (Galatians 1:15-17)
Peter
“Peter went up on the roof to pray.” (Acts 10:9)
Jesus
“Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.” (Mark 1:35)
“Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.” (Luke 5:16)
“Jesus went out to a mountainside to pray, and spent the night praying to God.” (Luke 6:12)
Find your tent of meeting, cave, green pasture, quiet waters, Arabia, roof, or mountainside. Find your solitary place. Be still. Be quiet. Be silent.
Noise
Noise is constant racket, hustle, and bustle of this world.
I remember in my grad school communication courses, we often discussed “noise interference.” Interference is anything that disrupts the signal from getting through. Oftentimes, the noise is unwanted, but many times we create the noise ourselves.
It’s difficult to have effective communication when one is constantly competing with noise.
The rest of Isaiah 30:15 reveals a significant fact:
“In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength, but you would have none of it.”
What this means is we are unwilling to be quiet.
We have so much noise going on all the time, I don’t even think we realize how much interference is happening. No wonder we can’t hear God.
God is trying to reach you, but you are making Him compete for your attention. Stop making God compete for your attention.
When we turn off the noise, we open the door for God to reveal Himself to us in very specific ways that only He knows. He longs to communicate directly and personally to us.
We have to choose to turn off the noise in our lives so that we can truly hear His voice and receive His messages.
I believe God has personal, special messages for each one of us. These are meant specifically for you and you alone, just like that morning experience I had was just for me, a one-person audience. How many conductors do you know who would put on a world-renown musical for a four-year old little girl? I only know one person who would do such a marvelous thing. His name is God.
He did this because I showed up in the quietness of the morning, no agenda. I simply was drawn to the stillness, and I embraced the quietness.
Practical Application
Today, find your tent, your mountain, your desert, your solitary place. Then with no agenda, be still and wait for God to show up. Commit to at least 10 minutes. Be intentional. Be purposeful about this.
As far as it depends on you, get rid of all noise interference. Here are just some possible noise interferences:
- TV
- Music
- People
- Hunger pains
Now, I have one final challenge for you. For the reminder of our 40 Days of Intentional Living, set aside 10 minutes each day for quietness. Be still and wait for God to show up. Let’s see what He wants to personally communicate with you.
Blessing for Your Day
May Yahweh your God be among you. May He rejoice over you with gladness. May He bring you quietness with His love. May He delight in you with shouts of joy.” (Zephaniah 3:17).
Just for Today
Refrain from Noise. Embrace Quietness!
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