Quiet, Please

Fret not yourself because of evildoers; be not envious of wrongdoers! For they will soon fade like the grass and wither like the green herb. Trust in the LORD, and do good; dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness. Delight yourself in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him, and he will act. He will bring forth your righteousness as the light, and your justice as the noonday. Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him; fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way, over the man who carries out evil devices! (Psalm 37:1-7 ESV). I was browsing along and saw this picture and immediately thought that I needed that. Some of you might remark that there aren’t any bears in Aeldo, TX; what could I possibly need this sign for? Well, let me just say that I can be a “bear” if I don’t get some quiet time each day. With construction ramping up on the house, sitting on the patio to listen to the birds and feel the breeze for a few moments of quiet contemplation (better known as a nap) is next to impossible until late in the evening. Stillness is a rare commodity. It seems no matter where you find yourself, there is always some noise present to disturb your quiet. I think a part of our need for at least some ambient noise is the fear of being left alone with our thoughts. This unfortunately causes us to miss the wonder of silence. Scripture teaches that silence allows us to hear God speak. Elijah heard God’s wisdom in the still small voice. Psalm 37 advises silent waiting when we are anxious and fretful. Jesus often removed himself from the fray, perhaps so that he could regain perspective, and certainly so that he could reconnect with his Father. I learned the wonder of silence on the second day of a three-day silent retreat. I was alone on the grounds of a private camp in Oklahoma many years ago. It was a typical summer day in that dry and hot landscape. I had taken a short walk and found a place to sit with nothing but my thoughts. Even if electronics were possible, twenty years ago they didn’t exist in such abundance as they do today; however, I was told that the prerequisite for being at this camp was a promise of silence. I was not allowed to have any electronic devices, nor would any of the staff speak to me while I was there. It was designed to force an interaction in silence. The results were immediate and impacting. Through the Scripture I was able to clearly hear God’s words deep in my mind and heart. His message was very simple: “You are my child. I will always take care of you.” Suddenly it put all of life’s circumstance into proper perspective. Maybe you need that perspective today. Can I encourage you to find a quiet place? You will hear God!