Hearing God In Noisy Places

P.O Box 1540, Albany Western Australia 6331
Phone: (08) 98 418 418
E-mail: abl-alb@omninet.net.au

Hearing God In Noisy Places
Friend, have you ever felt guilty when somebody quoted this Bible verse: "Be still, and know that I am God?" (Psalm 46:10) Perhaps if you're like me, you'd like to find a quiet time today, maybe you're even planning for it. It is true, that wonderful things can happen in times of solitude, stillness, and silence before God. But they are hard to come by - and simply aren't available on some days or in certain life experiences. There's precious little time for stillness when production deadlines are close. A report is due in three hours. Or an inspection is in progress. And if you live in a big city, there are voices and horns with constant motion. And shared living space has someone else's music, someone else's TV, and someone else's voice constantly infiltrating your inner thoughts. Then there is "noise" of a different quality altogether. Pain from illness or injury might scream at you. The pressure of finding a new job or putting life together after a death takes away from your tranquil sense of God. Sadness, disappointment, and loss crash over you with the roar of an angry sea. However, strange as it may seem to say, the greater the need for some of us may be less for stillness than to learn how to hear God's voice in the middle of all the noise, chaotic activity, and disorientating trouble. In Psalm 107: 27-31 we read the following words: "They reeled and staggered like drunken men; they were at their wits' end. Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble, and he brought them out of their distress. He stilled the storm to a whisper; the waves of the sea were hushed. They were glad when it grew calm, and he guided them to their desired haven. Let them give thanks to the Lord…" Friend, do you really think ours is the first generation of humankind to feel the pressure of noise, tension, and uncertainty? Of course it isn't! And the experience of some of those people can guide us in our times of stress. Whoever the subjects of Psalm 107, they were reeling and staggering under their load. There was no serene stillness before God for them. To the contrary, they were "at their wits' end." So right in the middle of their frenzy and distress, "they cried out to the Lord in their trouble" - and God heard them. My friend, if your life has more tumult than stillness, more crash than tranquillity, let me assure you God has not eluded you. He beckons you to cry out to him, and he will show himself to you. And amidst all the noise and discord in your life, you will find him with you in the middle of it all. If you'd like some further reassurance of what I've shared with you today, I encourage you to write for two FREE booklets that reveal more about the God who cares for you. To request your copies of "How to find God" and "WHERE TROUBLE CAN'T HURT YOU", just write to me at P.O. Box 1540, Albany, WA 6331. Telephone: (08) 98 418 418. Email:abl-alb@omninet.net.au

Friend, have you ever felt guilty when somebody quoted this Bible verse: "Be still, and know that I am God?" (Psalm 46:10) Perhaps if you're like me, you'd like to find a quiet time today, maybe you're even planning for it. It is true, that wonderful things can happen in times of solitude, stillness, and silence before God. But they are hard to come by - and simply aren't available on some days or in certain life experiences.

There's precious little time for stillness when production deadlines are close. A report is due in three hours. Or an inspection is in progress. And if you live in a big city, there are voices and horns with constant motion. And shared living space has someone else's music, someone else's TV, and someone else's voice constantly infiltrating your inner thoughts.

Then there is "noise" of a different quality altogether. Pain from illness or injury might scream at you. The pressure of finding a new job or putting life together after a death takes away from your tranquil sense of God. Sadness, disappointment, and loss crash over you with the roar of an angry sea.

However, strange as it may seem to say, the greater the need for some of us may be less for stillness than to learn how to hear God's voice in the middle of all the noise, chaotic activity, and disorientating trouble.

In Psalm 107: 27-31 we read the following words: "They reeled and staggered like drunken men; they were at their wits' end. Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble, and he brought them out of their distress. He stilled the storm to a whisper; the waves of the sea were hushed. They were glad when it grew calm, and he guided them to their desired haven. Let them give thanks to the Lord…"

Friend, do you really think ours is the first generation of humankind to feel the pressure of noise, tension, and uncertainty? Of course it isn't! And the experience of some of those people can guide us in our times of stress.

Whoever the subjects of Psalm 107, they were reeling and staggering under their load. There was no serene stillness before God for them. To the contrary, they were "at their wits' end." So right in the middle of their frenzy and distress, "they cried out to the Lord in their trouble" - and God heard them.

My friend, if your life has more tumult than stillness, more crash than tranquillity, let me assure you God has not eluded you. He beckons you to cry out to him, and he will show himself to you. And amidst all the noise and discord in your life, you will find him with you in the middle of it all.

If you'd like some further reassurance of what I've shared with you today, I encourage you to write for two FREE booklets that reveal more about the God who cares for you. To request your copies of "How to find God" and "WHERE TROUBLE CAN'T HURT YOU", just write to me at P.O. Box 1540, Albany, WA 6331. Telephone: (08) 98 418 418. Email:abl-alb@omninet.net.au