Craving The Quiet
It’s lunchtime and the familiar buzz on my wrist reminds me the decibels are too high in the room and continued exposure will lead to hearing loss.
I didn’t need a smartwatch to tell me my son’s lunchroom at school was too loud; my ears were quite aware. Every little person in the room had remained quiet all morning and now it was their turn to be heard. Everyone talking louder than their neighbor, hoping their words will be heard.
Thankfully technology can inform us when the noise is getting to dangerous levels. I’m grateful for inventive human beings who also have created a remedy for me with ingenious earplugs that filter out the background noise, so I can hear the person in front of me speaking.
The noise in our world seems to be getting louder and louder. Thankfully God has created a rescue plan to filter out all the noise so we can hear His voice.
The Noise
The world is in uproar. It has flooded every space with its noise: politically, socially, physically. The marketplace of ideas has one vendor trying to shout over the next. “Here, buy my idea!”
Our human mind has to filter out so much of the daily clamor found in the news, social media, the internet, and on and on.
If the mental gymnastics weren’t enough in our physical world, noise pollution is becoming more of an issue. “Noise pollution can be defined as, unwanted or excessive sound that can have deleterious effects on human health, wildlife, and environmental quality.”[1]
I can attest to the negative effects of sound pollution. When my family and I were living in NYC, there was a constant buzz of sound: trains, buses, construction, sirens, etc. The hum of the world going about their business would sometimes overwhelm my senses. I would long for snowstorms to shut the city down. Science tells us it is quietest when it snows because the snowflakes absorb the sound vibrations. It is gloriously quiet during a snowfall.
This sound pollution does take a physical toll on one’s body. Studies have shown the negative effects on our nervous system, contributing to an increase in blood pressure, pulse rates, anxiety, irritability, mental fatigue, and sleep disruptions.[2]
It’s no wonder we crave stillness.
The Remedy
Humans were created with the ability to make noise. Our first breath produced a unique cry distinct to only us. Our voice is like a fingerprint of vibrations.
But Ecclesiastes 3:7 reminds us that there is a time to speak and to be silent. We must choose to create the stillness. In order to develop a deep walk with our God, we must give Him room.
Our Messiah led by example and provided us with a remedy to beat the noise.
As disciples, our call is to follow in His footsteps, to study how He lived, and to emulate His way.
It says in Mark 1:35, “And rising very early in the morning, while it was still dark, he departed and went out to a desolate place, and there he prayed.”
This verse shows us a simple strategy for healthy spirituality to quietness.
Plan to get quiet. Jesus got up early before sunrise to make space for quietness. Set your intention to make room for stillness. Set an alarm or set time aside when it is tranquil.
Remove distractions. He went to a desolate/solitary place. This word describes a place uninhabited by people. Our lives are full of distractions – both good and bad. Find your place of quiet and leave your phone/distractions behind.
Pray. Talk to your Heavenly Father and pause for His response. Prayer is a spiritual discipline that takes time to cultivate. Learning more about how to pray can help exercise this area of your spiritual life.
The world is progressively getting louder as time marches on. We will struggle under the weight of the chaos if we don’t make time for stillness. The health of our spiritual life depends on it. When we choose quiet in order to hear His voice, we might just be positioning ourselves perfectly to hear the footsteps of the returning Messiah. He surely is coming.
“The words of the wise heard in quiet are better than the shouting of a ruler among fools.”
“My people will abide in a peaceful habitation, in secure dwellings, and in quiet resting places”
— (Isaiah 32:18)
“The LORD your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing.”
Written by Kori, Life in Messiah staff
(1) Don’t have a New Year’s resolution yet? What about creating space for quiet?
(2) When is the best time for you to be still and quiet before the Lord? In the morning before the daily chaos begins? In the evening after the chaos has ended?
(3) In your time of solitude, remember those whose lives are in chaos, including those suffering from the Israel-Gaza war.