Sounds of Silence
Musings from the Garden
By Peggy Wyar
As I was sitting on my front porch I was aware of how quiet it seemed…no talking, no music, no phone, and no television to upset the stillness. I began to listen, hoping to hear from God, but became aware of other sounds. The plaintive train whistle, the birds singing in their choir, the cheers of a distant ball game all became the background noise to the gentle whisper of God’s sweet message to me.
I considered how silence doesn’t always mean absolutely no noise from anything or anyone. Sitting silent, even though there were noises all around me, meant I was quiet in the moment. I was being still, as Psalm 46:10 NIV instructs:
“He (the Lord) says, “Be still, and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth.”
Notice what comes after being still…it says you and I can know that God is God! We can be confident of His rule, trusting in His sovereignty and completely assured of His divinity.
Then it tells us that God will be exalted among the people of the earth and in the earth. He will be lifted up, honored, given glory and worship from every creature and every bit of nature as He is acknowledged as God Almighty.
What a privilege to be able to know God as God. I am also grateful that He is a kind heavenly Father who cares so much for me. As I listened to the birds singing around me I was reminded that they do not fret about their next meal, nor save up worms for future feasts.
Mathew 6:26 NIV “Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?”
How much more valuable to God am I? Are you? This is something to quietly contemplate when you choose stillness in God’s presence. Finding a way to draw away from the things that distract, and opening our hearts to listen to the Spirit speak, takes intentionality and grace. We must want it, and be willing to say no to other things in the moment.
I remember a day I called a friend inviting her to lunch and her response surprised me. She said that she had promised that time to the Lord and He wanted it for just Himself. I was very impressed with the lesson I learned from her words. She had known the most important thing for her that day was to have undistracted time with her God. She was following Jesus’ example of going to quiet places for communion with His Father.
While thinking about her commitment for alone time with God, I remembered that according to Ephesians 5:22-29, marriage is an illustration of the relationship of Christ and His Church. Looking to Hebrews 13:4 that says marriage should be honored by all and the marriage bed (the intimacy between husband and wife) be kept pure, I wondered how this might relate to the church community.
Keeping closeness with Jesus, our heavenly Bridegroom, undiluted with distractions can be a challenge in this performance driven, busy life-style society. How could I honor someone else’s intimacy with Jesus? Maybe I could encourage their relationship with Jesus by not demanding their time selfishly. I could accept their “no” graciously and without drama. I could serve them by removing some of their distractions, or by doing some of their tasks so they have more time to be alone and still.
Being still, listening silently, breathing in grace, and resting in God’s presence refreshes our souls. Choosing to use time in this way brings us life and trains us to be inwardly still. This is a great discipline to learn and use, especially when we may be in the middle of lots of noise and commotion. We just might be able to hear wonderful sounds in our souls’ silence. In this Christmas season, the sounds we hear may be of new birth, unending love, everlasting peace and wonderful joy. Let’s listen…
Isaiah 55:3
“Give ear and come to me;
listen, that you may live.
I will make an everlasting covenant with you,
my faithful love promised to David.”