Searching For Silence
Categories: Church of Christ Bulletin Articles
The title of this devotional might be confusing or perhaps even misunderstood. Let me explain. As I was reading Psalm 46:10, God inspired David to write, “Be still, and know that I am God.”
How does that happen? The noise of life surrounds us. We are deluged with noise. From the hum of the TV set; radio, MP3 players, to the everyday noise of cars roaring along our street; dogs bark; the garbage guy picking up trash. There is a constant hum which surrounds us….from the first glimpse of the morning sun to our last “goodnight” before bed.
People now take their daily walk with ear buds, listening to music they have downloaded from the internet. After all, one must keep pace to the sounds of the music! We have TV’s in bedrooms, and I Pods that lull us to sleep. Good Christian music to be sure. Not all bad but when do have time to listen to God?
Unfortunately, we are never alone with silence. We never seek the beauty that comes only when it’s just us and God. “Be still, and know that I am God.”
In the 70’s there was a song by Simon and Garfunkel called “The Sound of Silence” (see article). Does silence really have a sound and it is still silence? I am not going to try to understand all of that, but here is what I do know.
God is in fact, the creator of sound. The very act of creation itself must have come with sounds. Imagine the sound of mighty crashing waves of the oceans; the braying beasts of the field and the birds singing in chorus at the beauty of a perfect and sinless world. Every creature was praising God in His newly created universe (Psalm 148).
Look at Job 37:1-5. It doesn’t seem as though God is silent in these verses, does it? No, He came with thundering and roaring into His perfect creation. But then, Imperfection entered that world. We call it sin, disobedience, rebellion etc. Now the beauty of those sounds would forever be corrupted. That is until “Perfection” was born. It was then the “morning stars sang together” (Job 38:7); and angels singing, announcing His birth. In Revelation 19:6, we read where we will be singing praises to the Lord and rejoicing in Him.
There is a time for singing, rejoicing, and praising. “Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all ye lands. Serve the Lord with gladness; Come before His presence with singing” (Psalm 100:1-2).Yes, there is a time for making this joyful “noise.”
However….there is a time for silence. “Be still, and know that I am God.”
The prophet Elijah expected to hear God’s voice roaring in the wind….but it came to him in a small gentle whisper (1 Kings 19:12).
We too can hear God’s still small voice speaking to us from the pages of His book. He sends His Holy Spirit, who speaks to us through reading His words and through prayer. It’s just us and God. “Be still, and know that I am God.”
So you and I must leave the noise of the world and enjoy the “sounds of silence” that come only when we are in communion with our heavenly Father.
Just listen to His voice as you read His Holy Word. Pray those verses back to Him. Then there will be music….now it is in our heart.
“Be still, and know that I am God.”
—Barbara Hyland, guest writer