SILENCE

Zephaniah 3:17—The Lord your God is with you, He is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing.

Silence is golden. It is a paradoxical potion to a stressed spirit. I say paradoxical because often in our busyness we cry out for God and we cannot hear Him. He may seem absent from the roar of everyday life. Indeed I wonder if we crowd Him out by out incessant action. No wonder He impressed upon the sons of Korah “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth” (Psalm 46:10).

In the deafening silence of the Alaskan muskeg the quiet becomes a soothing sonnet. Nature rises up and proclaims the majesty of God. The brilliant hues of a fading sun, the shimmering surface of a placid lake, the outstretched limbs of gnarled spruce, the purple berries of a faithful bush do not whisper praise for some quixotic bang—they glorify their heavenly Maker.

May I encourage you to get off the freeway the next time you see a rest area! Find a place of stillness and wait for your loving Lord—the One to Whom all creation sings. Let the chills of joy that come from an affirming heart encourage you. Let silence speak her peace. And if you do not come away stronger, wiser, blessed, then linger in your season of listening. God has not vanished. May He quiet you with His love! May you hear Him.

Inspiration
His silence is the sign that He is bringing you into a marvelous understanding of Himself.—Oswald Chambers in My Utmost For His Highest