Quiet and Still

"Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth."

Psalm 46:10

I have to admit, I don’t really like a quiet house. If I am alone, I’ll turn on the TV for some background noise. When fixing dinner or cleaning up, I like to watch or listen to something. I immediately sense the urge to turn on a little HGTV, etc. Even in the car, I am listening to something. Not that this is wrong, but I have allowed this to become a habit for me.

If you are like me, you might have your prayer time in the morning, read Scripture, and head off to start your day. Often I realized that this was the only time during the day that I talked to the Lord. I had intentions to keep our conversations rolling all day long, but other noise took His place.

So I have been asking the Lord to show me how to grow in my prayer life and seek more time with Him. Well, God gave me a few pointers. He has been impressing upon me to be content with a little quiet.

I turned off the noise and just talked to Him. When I noticed the quiet, I prayed. The quiet has allowed me to stay connected to the Father throughout my day. God always answers prayers. It is His will that we grow in our relationships with Him.    

In 1 Kings 19:11-12 the Lord spoke to Elijah in a gentle whisper. Our application is that God can choose to speak through a wind, earthquake, or fire, but often His voice is heard through an impression on your soul. Are we still and quiet enough to really hear what the Lord has to say to us?

I love the way Charles Spurgeon put it in one of his sermons, “by making silence and sitting still in it, you may hear that call of tender love.”

For me, getting still and quiet is difficult. The noise is a hard habit to break, but I am allowing the Lord to change me for the better.

My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me (John 10:27).

Julie Smith