Finding Quietness with God
Noise has advantages and disadvantages. The same is true of quietness. Both noise and quietness are a normal part of everyday life. There are also difference between the two. Each serves a different purpose. Noise and quietness can not co-exist. Quietness promotes communion with God. Communion with God bestows strength. Communion with Him also brings a realization that, regardless of the situation, His will always supersedes your will. There should not be an invasion of noise in your quiet time with God.
Noise has become dominant and inescapable in some areas of daily life. However useful they may be, some noises have also proven to have negative consequences. Noise can create disturbances for ocean animals. For humans, chronic noise can lead to health issues such as increased stress and hearing loss. In some neighborhoods, too much noise can reduce property value or dissuade would-be property buyers. Even though it is a normal part of daily life, noise must be controlled and some restrictions must be placed on it. Especially when it tries to invade quietness.
You can think of quietness as a specific place. Not the kind of place that you can see or that is temporal – but a special place that is unseen and eternal as mentioned in 2 Corinthians 4:18. The place of quietness is a place we must endeavor to frequently be. And not only do we need to know how to get to the place of quietness and spend time there but we need to be absolutely sure of how to return again and again and again.
Quietness doesn’t just happen. We must pursue it. There must be a determination to not allow others, situations, thoughts, things past, things present, visible or invisible things to keep us from finding quietness. Quietness promotes growth and development. This is a growth that is unattainable by mere food or vitamins. Hospitals require quietness. Some libraries have a quiet policy. Prayer rooms are quiet at certain times. Some schools teach quietness to students and put a demand on it for specific times of the day. At some schools, students are taught to walk the corridors with fingers on lip to remind themselves and signal to others that movement is taking place quietly. Quiet times are expected on some jobs, at certain points during worship services, during business conference calls, and while others may be speaking. God’s Word also instructs us to “study to be quiet” (I Thessalonians 4:11).
The pursuit of quietness must be intentional. Jesus Himself retreated nine different times in quietness to pray. This does not detract from other forms of prayer that may be less quiet but it certainly does indicate that prayer in the place of quietness is also effective. In Mark 1:35, it seems that His quiet prayer time was early in the morning. In Matthew 14:23, it seemed to be after the miraculous feeding of the multitude. In Matthew 26, it was before His crucifixion. In each instance of retreating, Jesus went alone in quietness. He hungered for communion with the Father that was void of distractions. In the place of quiet prayer, Jesus sought the Father’s direction and found answers. He gained strength. In the place of quietness during His dialogue with the Father, Jesus surrendered Himself to the Father’s will. Psalm 131: 2 says:
Surely I have calmed and quieted my soul, like a weaned child with his mother; Like a weaned child is my soul within me.
Quietness breeds calmness, peace, freedom from fear and anxiety. Jesus knew that.
The Bible says that the Old Testament Israelites refused the invitation to quietness, according to Isaiah 30:15. The invitation was definitely presented to them:
For thus says the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel: “In returning and rest you shall be saved; In quietness and confidence shall be your strength.”
Strength can reside in quietness. Moreover, the place of quietness is where we must be in order to receive God’s strength, hear His voice, and as we seek His direction and receive His answers. We reach the place of quietness only after we escape the daily invasions and distractions brought to us through noises.
Just as detoxing the body can produce health benefits, detoxing from the noise around you also carries physical and spiritual benefits. Getting to the place of quietness is not so difficult but the real struggle is remaining there. An invasion of too much noise can make it difficult to find quietness. Too much noise can cause God’s voice to not be clearly heard or can cause a person to think that God does not speak to them. Distractions are multiplied in the place of noise. Focus and concentration are often disrupted when there is too much noise.
There is no one specific way to enter, seize or remain in the place of quietness. One thing is for certain though – you must decide and decree that quietness is yours, You must be determined to not let any person, situation, or even yourself rob you of your quietness.
Someone is waiting for you in the place of quietness despite whatever time you arrive there and regardless of how often you go there. Learn to turn down, turn off, and detach from noise. Turn up quietness by entering in to commune with the Father to experience and receive His joy, peace, love, strength, wisdom, rest – or whatever you need.