Throwback Thursday - Noise

----originally published in 2001----
 
Recently I heard a "sermonette", if you will, on Noise. It kind of blew me away...in a good way.

He spoke about a sound guy - a friend - in Hollywood who would go out in nature to record nature sounds. Sounds without cars and planes etc...In the 1960's it took over 100 hours of recording to get just 1 hour of silence. Now it takes over 2000 hours for that same 1 hour!

My TV, radio, iPod, computer, cell phone, facebook, blogging, books, cars, airplanes, refrigerator, washer, dryer, dishwasher, fishtank, wall clock, fans and of course children, are all sources of noise in my life. Lots of noise. Am I ever silent? Am I ever still? Do I ever ride in a silent car? Do I wake up to birds singing or an alarm blaring or a fan whirring?
If I sit outside I hear cars go by on our semi-busy road in the distance. I hear planes overhead (we are just 10 minutes from our tiny airport). I hear dogs barking. I hear tractors harvesting hay. Maybe that's why I struggle to hear God's still small voice. Because of too much noise.

Recently I've been bombarded with information. People's opinions of me, encouragement for me, solutions for me etc...It's been overwhelming to say the least. I have been desperate to hear what God wants to say. Desperate for Him to help me sort through the lies and see the Truth.

But I realize I can't hear Him clearly. I realize that He's not in the fire or the wind or the earthquakes. He's in the stillness. He's in the solitude. Jesus went away many times during His ministry to be alone. To hear God's voice. I need to make silence and solitude a part of my disciplines in order to hear the One Whose opinion (and it isn't actually opinion - it's Truth) of me, encouragement for me and solutions for me are all I need. Ever.

Let me know silence. Let me hear His Voice loud and clear. Be still and know that He is God.