Be Still

Be Still

“He says, ‘Be still, and know that I am God.’” Psalm 46:10a

According to interruption science, we’re interrupted every three minutes. What worries me is the fact that we have a field of science dedicated to interruption. The problem must be growing.

It’s hard to tune out the voices of others, the call of social media, and the constant demands to do more and be more. But silence can help us hear God’s voice and sing His song.

Can I go out on a limb? Your life is too loud. Your schedule is too busy. You could use some intentional time to “be still and know.”

We need our respites. Even Jesus himself was “led by the Spirit into the wilderness” (Matthew 4:1), “went out to a desolate place” (Mark 1:35; Luke 4:42), and “went up on the mountain by himself to pray . . . alone” (Matthew 14:23).

Getting away from time to time has always been a human necessity, but it’s all the more pressing in modern life. Especially urban life. By all accounts, things are more crowded, and noisier, than they’ve ever been.

Many of us have an addiction to noise without being consciously aware of it and yet separated from silence it becomes increasingly difficult to hear God. Sometimes I catch myself thoughtlessly flipping on the radio every time in the car. On occasion I’ll turn it off and try to be mindful of God and pray. It’s remarkable how strange, and wonderful, the silence can be.

The world I is full of people, however who no longer hear - or perhaps they no longer listen. They are attuned to the drama and cacophony of their day to day lives. Simon and Garfunkel said:

And the people bowed and prayed
To the neon god they made
And the sign flashed out its warning
In the words that it was forming

And the sign said, "The words of the prophets
Are written on the subway walls
And tenement halls"
And whispered in the sounds of silence