Silence and Noise

by Kristen Lisemby

Not long ago, I was reading various passages and one little thing kept popping up–noise. It got me thinking. Have you ever tried to pray and then heard the phone ring? Or thought about something you forgot to do? Have you ever said, I’m going to sit down and read my Bible—really read it!—and then, when the time came, the TV from the other room was blaring or your brothers or sisters decided to play tag in the house? Noise. Noise. Noise!! I realized we get so used to the noise of life that, sometimes, we subconsciously crave noise and forget how to be silent. We forget what it says in Ecclesiastes, “to everything there is a season……a time to keep silence, and a time to speak.” (vs.1 and 7) We forget that Jesus still speaks in that still, small voice.

It puzzles me why we beg God to speak to us and then we fill our lives with so much noise and distraction that prevents us from hearing what He has to say. It’s almost like asking God to call us and then having our music blaring so loudly that we can’t hear the phone ring. A bit silly, don’t you think?

While thinking on these things I penned these words…

Speak to me
In the silence, or in the noise!
Because Lord, sometimes I’m just not still.

Sometimes I’m just not still. Don’t you hate that? Though we don’t mean to, sometimes we tune God out. We get carried about by the bustle of the life we live. School, work, deadlines, homework, bills, activities, social events, church events, family outings, errands, chores…stuff has to be done! And as the clock ticks, we wonder how we’re going to squeeze it all in and we forget about the One thing our whole existence should be built upon–Jesus! We forget that we will be restless and unsteady inside unless we have our Cornerstone, our Rock, and our Foundation set and in place! Most times we long to hear the Lord speak to us, but there is too much noise ringing in our ears that it’s nearly impossible to detect His voice. We’ve got to learn to be still and be silent. We need to learn to put our relationship with the Lord first. When we learn to shut off the noise and center our focus (and our ears!) on the Lord, then we grow a little more and the lines are open to where we can hear His voice more clearly.

So remember to be still. Take the time to get alone with God every day and listen to what He has to say. Unplug the phone. Turn off the computer, the TV, and the cell phone. Go for a walk. Pull over on the highway and sit still. He has so many amazing things He wants us to know and learn…so many exciting adventures and treasures…and all we have to do is just sit still and listen.