Recently I was driving in my car, my thoughts careening all over the place (only my thoughts, not my vehicle), when I suddenly realized I had tightened my grip on the steering wheel and my stress level had gone way up. I gradually became aware that music I hadn’t even been paying attention to was belting from the speakers. I hit the off button and peace draped over my car like a thick blanket.
The tension that had been knotting up my shoulders released and I relaxed against the back of my seat. I was shocked at how the cacophony of sound filling the air around me had so agitated me even though I hadn’t truly been conscious of it.
How often do I wander through life—down a busy sidewalk, inside a coffee shop filled with chattering people, even in my own home—without being aware of the noise? -@sarajdavison Share on XIt got me thinking. How often do I wander through life—down a busy sidewalk, inside a coffee shop filled with chattering people, even in my own home—without being aware of the noise, even though it is clearly affecting me physically, emotionally, and mentally?
No wonder God calls us to intentionally be still so that we can know that He is God. Unless we make the conscious decision to turn off the noise all around us, how can we meditate on Him, remember who He is and who we are in relation to Him?
Unless we make the conscious decision to turn off the noise all around us, how can we meditate on Him, remember who He is and who we are in relation to Him? -@sarajdavison Share on XThe world around us is filled with noise. We are so used to it that we rarely even notice it, and yet it has a profound impact on us. It inhibits our ability to interact with our Creator, to hear His still, small voice.
One of the most powerful stories in the Bible is found in 1 Kings 19: “And he said, ‘Go out and stand on the mount before the Lord.’ And behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind tore the mountains and broke in pieces the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. And after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. And after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire the sound of a low whisper. And when Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his cloak” (1 Kings 19:11-13).
Elijah didn't cower before the wind or the earthquake or the fire. But he covered his face at the sound of a few hushed, holy words. -@sarajdavison Share on XElijah had just proven to the prophets of Baal that God was the one true God. He was coming off a major victory, but then his life was threatened and he fled in terror. God, in his mercy, came to his prophet, reminding him of who He was, not through clamor and noise or the clapping of thunder, but through a whisper. Elijah knew it. He didn’t cower before the wind or the earthquake or the fire. But he covered his face at the sound of a few hushed, holy words.
The still, small voice of our Creator carries within it indescribable power, might, and majesty. It called the universe into being, and it calls to us to listen so we can know who this God, divine king and ruler of all things, truly is.
But we need to turn off the noise. We need to intentionally be still, to come apart, to listen. And when we do, may stillness, silence, and the whisper of God fill us with peace and prepare our hearts to hear all that He has to say to us.
Sara Davison is the author of the romantic suspense series, The Seven Trilogy and The Night Guardians. She has been a finalist for eight national writing awards, including Best New Canadian Christian author, a Carol Award, and two Daphne du Maurier Awards for Excellence in Mystery/Suspense. She is a Word and Cascade Award winner. She currently resides in Ontario, Canada with her husband Michael and their three children, all of whom she (literally) looks up to. Her favourite way to spend the days (and nights) is drinking coffee and making stuff up.
The Story Continues…
The tip the stranger left sent Nicole a painfully clear message. The past is no longer in the past.
Nicole is fighting to bury the memories. Someone else is fighting to keep them exposed. Detective Daniel Grey is back in town, and diner owner Nicole Hunter isn’t sure how she feels about that. It’s been almost seven years, and now she doesn’t just have herself to think about but her six-year-old son as well. If she does find the courage to take a chance on love, her heart could be smashed into pieces. Again.
And it’s not only her heart that is in danger. Someone is working hard to disrupt her present with reminders of the past she has worked hard to forget, especially her darkest memory—of the night her husband was gunned down in the street in front of her. As much as she might want to push Daniel away, Nicole needs him closer now than ever before.
