(Reprint from July 2012)

Be quiet

We live in a very loud and busy world. Many people spend their whole lives going from here to there and never having a deeper thought than asking what’s for dinner. The silence is scary. We want to enjoy the ripples on top of the pond that is our life, but we don’t want to dive. Under that surface are real issues. There may be painful memories, or guilt. There may be tough questions with no answers. There may be fears or worries. But if we keep the volume turned up and the speed set on fast, we can stay on the surface.

But YHVH wants to deal with our heart issues. He wants to heal the pain and forgive so the guilt can be removed. He wants to answer the questions. He wants to ease our fears. But as we learn from Elijah, He speaks in a still small voice, and does not demand to be heard. He waits for us to come to Him. As we read in Revelation, Yahshua stands at the door and knocks, but He waits for the door to be opened. Have you ever been busy vacuuming or running the blender or dancing to music turned up and missed the phone ringing? When the volume of our life is left turned on full blast, we may miss His gentle knocking at our heart’s door.

“Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!”
(Psa 46:10)

We need to take time to be quiet. We need to turn everything off and just listen. Sometimes I have really been struggling with an issue and not sure what to do. When I finally just got still and quiet and prayerfully asked my question, He sent the answer. Sometimes I didn’t like the answer, and I wonder if that is why I avoided being still. (blush) But He is ever faithful to deliver, to hear our prayers, to answer, when we are still and quiet.

Shabbat is such a wonderful gift, because if we truly embrace it, we have an entire day to be quiet. My husband and I often have 2-3 hour spiritual discussions on Saturday nights after the kids are in bed. I asked Doug why YHVH always seemed to speak to him on Shabbat. He replied, “Because I’m quiet.” Take advantage of Shabbat as an opportunity to be quiet. I know it can be difficult with children, but try to make the time. We have a structured teaching time after lunch on Shabbat, but during the afternoon, we often send the kids outside to play, and we just rest. I sometimes do a little reading, but often I pray and doze and wait and He speaks. He helps me sort out little struggles. He shows me places where I need to improve or apologize.

In my own experience, diving below those well protected ripples can be painful. But as we learned in the last post, truth is so important. There are things under that surface that need to be dealt with. They are building up pressure and will find a vent and cause problems, unless we let YHVH heal and convict and sort everything out. We have to speak the truth with ourselves.

Have you taken time to really be quiet lately? I mean, have you turned off the TV, computer, music, talking, phone, and just enjoyed the silence? Make the time, and enjoy the presence and communion with YHVH. No technology can replace that.

Verses to study

• Psalm 46:10
• I Kings 19
• Revelation 3:20

Hebrew

The word for still in Psalm 46:10 is raphah, and gives the idea of health and medicine. It directly includes the idea of ceasing. Truly, when we cease from all the busyness and spend time with YHVH, we find healing.