BY: MEGAN GILMORE
I recently was able to slip away from my normal life for some time away in the mountains. As I drove up the winding roads I found my mind wandering to think about life. I have been in such a busy season that I have not had time to stop, think, and reflect. I had just finished a crazy season and was feeling empty. I was looking forward to time away from my normal life.
One thing that struck me as I sat outside amongst the trees was how quiet it was. All I could hear were birds talking. I realized that my life had been very noisy in the past few months. Yes, there have been environmental noises that have become the background of my life. I live by a very busy and noisy street. My office is a block away from a Marine Corps Air Station where I hear planes, helicopters, and other loud military transportation daily.
As you can tell from just my home and office there is just a lot of noise, but as I sat in the quiet I realized that there was even more noise in my life that I had not realized snuck in. When we allow noise to enter our minds it can easily distract us from what God has for us. You may be wondering what other noise had I allowed in? Well, what I began to understand as I sat in the quiet was I had allowed stress to be noisy in my life. I had filled my quiet space with being busy. Other noises included things like movies, music, and conversation. I had allowed all of these noises to enter my mind and it had become extremely loud. Those distractions were making it challenging to really hear God’s voice. I found my head had been spinning with thoughts, words, conversations, possibilities, and more noise.
The longer I sat in the quiet and stillness the easier it was to hear God. I was reminded of a verse in Psalm 37:7a “Be still in the presence of the Lord, and wait patiently for him to act.”
Be still before the Lord, be still in the presence of the Lord, be silent before the Lord - these all mean the same thing. Each way we phrase it David was reminding us that we need to stop, slow down, and be still. This does not just mean physically slowing down, stopping, and being still. In the world we live in it is far more important that we mentally stop, be still, and wait for the Lord.
As I came back home from being away I did not want to let the noise creep back in. I have been intentional to watch the balance in my life and manage my stress. I have been intentionally filling my mind with scripture and praise. Most importantly I have been working to quiet my mind when spending time with God.
Have you had a busy season?
Have you had a lot of noise coming at you from all directions?
Has it been difficult to hear God’s voice?
I am here to remind you that you are not alone in this struggle.
It is so easy to slip into these seasons of noise. There are times where our minds are so occupied with what is happening around us that we do not realize we are missing God talking to us. He is longing to communicate with us. He does not just want us going through the motions, but to be in His presence.
When you find yourself in this place of too much noise it is time to quiet yourself before the Lord.
Turn on praise music and just sit with Him.
Open the Bible and read His word - let it fill you.
Grab a journal and write with Him.
Whatever way works best for you...do it! Slow your mind down, turn off the noise, and be in stillness with Him. He has something special to say to you.