Monday, January 7, 2008

Quiet, Please

After the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire;
and after the fire a still small voice
(1 Kings 19:12)

Rock and Roll Concert, Spotlight on Musician by Kevin Radford
Rock and Roll Concert, Spotlight on Musician




In recent years, the spread of personal digital music players has resulted in concerns about hearing loss. The design of the music players and their earphones has been the target of complaints and lawsuits.
Youth Listening to Music on Headphones
Youth Listening to Music on Headphones

Long-term exposure to music at a high volume has been shown to cause serious hearing impairment.
In a sense, too much hearing can result in an inability to hear.

We live in a world filled with noise--noises designed to sell, please, seduce, and deceive.
In the midst of this discordant sound,
it's easy to miss the one voice that matters most.

Elijah had listened to Jezebel's threats and his own fear, so he fled and hid.
In the cave, he was confronted with the overwhelming noise of wind,
and earthquake, and fire (1 Kings 19:11-12).

Then the cave grew silent and the voice of the Lord--
The only sound that mattered--
Broke through as "a still small voice" (v.12)

If we are to hear God speaking to our hearts through His Word,
we need to pull away from the noise of the crowd.

Only when we learn to be quiet can we really understand
what it means to commune with the God who cares for us.

In our "quiet time", let's make an effort to listen for the voice of God.--Bill Crowder

Speak, Lord, in the stillness
While I wait on Thee;
Hushed my heart to listen
In expectancy. (Grimes)

To Hear God's voice, turn down the world's volume.

images courtesy of allposters


Blessings, Mimi


13 comments:

Karen said...

Oh, to be able to do that! Noise gets to me after a while, and especially when I need to hear that "still small voice".
Hope your continuing to mend, and feeling back to 100%.

Paula said...

Thanks for the reminder to turn the world off for a moment and just listen. I tend to forget to do this until the end I'm in that groggy state of almost-sleep....

Maxine said...

Very interesting. I often wonder how they can stand the noise. Listening to the quietness of God's voice is definitely what we need.

Anonymous said...

Yes Jesus made special quiet time to pray we need to do the same. Great post. Hugs.

Mimi said...

Karen,
Noise gets to me after a while too...it bothers me when I am trying to read or think...
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Paula,
it is very hard to turn the world off when it is coming at us from all directions.. with the TV and Radio..and music and noise...
I also tend to forget to do this until the very end of the day when I am going to sleep... and I miss quiet time with God...
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Maxine,
I think the entire generation of young people will be hard of hearing when they reach their senior years...if they don't learn to turn the volume down and listen!!
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Sarah,
Yes if Jesus needed quiet time in order to talk to his father, we certainly need the same...

Thank all of you ladies for your kind comments...
Mimi

Rose of Sharon said...

I sure need to quiet down and listen to Him! I have really been feeling that lately. I sit down almost everyday and spend time in His word and prayer, but sometimes I think all I am doing is thinking about things and not really praying to Him or worshiping Him. Great post!

Hugs, Sharon
P.S. I do worry about people having their music too loud. My kids are all very aware to keep it down and if the person next to you can hear your earphones, they are too loud.

Beverly said...

What an excellent reminder to "Be still and know that I am God ..."
Our world is definitely too "noisy," and I really appreciate this post, Mimi.

Sharon said...

Noise gets under my skin very quickly and makes me want to run away from it. I'm a much better person when things are quiet. :-)
Hope you are feeling much better!

Beka said...

Very interesting, and very true. We all need this reminder to shut off the technology and listen for His still, small voice.

Unknown said...

Thanks for sharing this, I copied it and am emailing it to my son. God bless you today!

Melissa said...

Even children's toys are too loud for ear-safety and they learn young to always want noise.

Cathy said...

Lovely post, Mimi. This is definitely what I need to do ~ too much news blaring all the time. We need to "be still and know that I AM God."
I do hope you are feeling much better.

Tracy said...

Ahhhh... silence is indeed golden! I'm only 37 and feel my hearing slipping away already. (I've never used headphones, etc)

We recently felt like the meanest parents on earth when our almost 17 year old asked if he could spend some of his money on an Ipod and we said no. He was mad for a day, but hasn't mentioned it since.