Loud World

Loud World
Psa 4:3-5 NIV - [3] Know that the Lord has set apart the godly for himself; the Lord will hear when I call to him. [4] In your anger do not sin; when you are on your beds, search your hearts and be silent. Selah [5] Offer right sacrifices and trust in the Lord.
Psa 1:1-2 NLT - [1] Oh, the joys of those who do not follow the advice of the wicked, or stand around with sinners, or join in with scoffers. [2] But they delight in doing everything the LORD wants; day and night they think about his law.
Isa 30:15-16 NKJV - [15] 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." But you would not, [16] And you said, "No, for we will flee on horses" Therefore you shall flee! And, "We will ride on swift horses"— Therefore those who pursue you shall be swift!
We live in a loud world. Sound levels are constantly rising on our music, television, advertisements, portable devices, and telephones. We want things bigger and louder--we must be fed our entertainment. We mistakenly believe that this noise is the only way we can stay sane. Silence is deafening to us, because we believe it hinders progress. I once had a music professor in college say our society is moving so fast that we are going to hit a bottleneck. I think there is wisdom in that: we are moving too fast to do what the voice of the Lord is telling us. The famous mathematician and great Christian philosopher Blaise Pascal once said, "All human evil comes from a single cause, man's inability to sit still in a room." Old Pascal was right--we can't sit still and ill is to come of it.
God wants us to be silent sometimes, however. Away from the constant noise of life, we are to come to him in quietness and solitude. The Psalmist says, "when you are on your beds, search your hearts and be silent. Offer right sacrifices and trust in the Lord." This is what many call "Christian meditation." It is a vital aspect of our spiritual lives. Without it, our spiritual condition will deteriorate, much as a man who does not workout his muscles will watch them slowly atrophy. Quiet time with the Lord is not only essential, however. It is a comforting, relaxing experience that connects us with God, ourselves, and helps us with our relationships with others. Take time each day or night to find some quiet place to talk to God and to meditate on His word. Some choose their beds, others choose a quiet place in nature, while others may spend that time in their cars. In the midst of a world drowning in noise, their are crevices filled with pockets of silence by which our prayers may go out to God.
The Psalmist also informs us that meditation aids us in learning about God and His laws. He says that those who follow God "delight in doing everything the LORD wants; day and night they think about his law." Just as one studies for a test or reads a book, so too we must learn about God's ways in our own study. It is not enough to merely attend Sunday school and worship services or conferences or university courses: we must have time to study on our own. In my field of software development, one must continually renew his knowledge of new technologies and design philosophies so he won't fall behind on his craft. The same is true with the Christian, although the truths of God are not constantly changing. The Christian must study fervently: he must read God's word on his own and with others. From there, many desire to seek out other useful materials in growing the mind and body and spirit into Christ's image. The more we learn, the better off we are.
I urge you to find some time each day to be quiet before God. Talk to Him, learn from Him--you can only better yourself by doing so. Allow His voice to pierce the constant chatter that surrounds our world. We live in a loud world, but we serve a louder God. But sometimes listening to the loudest voice means listening to the most quiet voice. The book At the Back of the North Wind by George McDonald notes this. The young boy Diamond is met by the mythological North Wind, who takes many forms, both big and small. On one occassion, the North Wind speaks to Diamond through a toy windmill:
There were the sails of a windmill going round and round almost close to his ear. He thought at first it must be one of those toys which are wound up and go with clockwork; but no, it was a common penny toy, with the windmill at the end of a whistle, and when the whistle blows the windmill goes. But the wonder was that there was no one at the whistle end blowing, and yet the sails were turning round and round—now faster, now slower, now faster again."What can it mean?" said Diamond, aloud. "It means me," said the tiniest voice he had ever heard."Who are you, please?" asked Diamond."Well, really, I begin to be ashamed of you," said the voice. "I wonder how long it will be before you know me; or how often I might take you in before you got sharp enough to suspect me. You are as bad as a baby that doesn't know his mother in a new bonnet." "Not quite so bad as that, dear North Wind," said Diamond, "for I didn't see you at all, and indeed I don't see you yet, although I recognise your voice. Do grow a little, please."
We all ask God to grow a little, don't we? We want Him to be just as loud as our world. Sometimes we must simply be quiet and listen to His tiny voice. You see, it is not the size of something that makes it large: it is the nature of the thing itself. God, while infinitely large, lives in our tiny hearts. What a concept! Listen to His voice today. Amen.

With love in Christ,



Austin Aldrich