Quietness

"He is with us to give us peace. How much more should we desire to give Him the quiet He deserves to speak to us and Him be heard?"

IF YOU’RE NOT QUIET, you won’t hear Him. Sometimes the volume of our worship muffles our hearing. At the same time, it isn’t about external volume, but internal volume. When we are speaking loudly, usually it is from emotions. God gave us emotions. He wants us to enjoy our lives, enjoy His presence, but when we give into emotions, often our spiritual hearing is muffled. We must worship as He wills and not as we will. Our worship must be Spirit-led.

I have had times when He would not let me listen to music with lyrics. I’ve had Him suggest song titles to play on repeat. I’ve had times where He wanted up-tempo and not slow and peaceful. I’ve also had times where I just couldn’t emotionally do what He needed me to do. He is patient and understanding. He will wait while I work the kinks out, but He knows I intend to work the kinks out. We don’t give Him enough credit for being patient and without one trace of condemnation. He’s not a nitpick.

I’ve had Him keep my mouth shut. I couldn’t sing or pray at all but was just to sit in His presence. Those moments are perhaps the most precious to me. But all of it was Spirit-led. I talk to Him like I talk to you. I started doing this and discovered He will reply. It is up to us. The question is, What level is our faith? What level is our worship? Are we childlike or childish? There is a difference. Childish worship is led by the flesh and the mind. And this is just as likely to be our criticism of another man’s worship. Just because you “don’t do” their type of music or style of worship doesn’t make you Spirit-led and NOT in the flesh. Worship isn’t a genre or a dance style.

“So we conclude that there is still a full and complete ‘rest’ waiting for believers to experience.” (Hebrews 4:9, TPT)

God delights in being heard. The Father loves for us to be listening. The Holy Spirit was sent to live in us to connect us to Him and to Jesus, our Savior. He speaks the words of God to us, and the power of those words renews our mind and strengthens our spirit man. Our worship, Spirit-led, gives Him opportunity to work in us in magnificent ways, but we must be listening. We cannot be rash, but we can be instant and in season. On time. The first, our being headstrong, is our mind, will, and emotions having control. Being instant and on time is self-control, which is a fruit of the Spirit. Knowing when to pull back and be quiet, to worship in quietness, and being content in it, is His presence working in us. Many times, my mind has been racing when my heart (my spirit) was at rest, and I’ve marveled at it, knowing only God could do that in me.

He is the God of peace. Jesus is the Prince of peace, who came to bring us the gospel of peace, and send the Spirit of peace. Even in the darkest valley, He is with us to give us peace. How much more should we desire to give Him the quiet He deserves to speak to us and Him be heard? Because when we are talking (or singing), He is silent. Conversation is a two-way street. Worship is as much Him speaking to us as it is us speaking to Him. Prayer is Him answering as much as it is us asking. We don’t need to “talk God into it.” Having many words is not faith. Trust in Him is faith. Unending repetition is not required. We meditate on the Word by going over its truths and promises, to meditate is to mutter. But that is to place it in our heart, not His.

“But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking.” (Matthew 6:7)

At 3 a.m., God spoke. He does this a lot. Because there in the quiet, my mind at rest, He can be heard. I’ve heard others tell this same story about the wee hours. I used to roll over and type what He said into my phone, but most often, now, I ask Him to remind me later. He always does. He is infinitely trustworthy. At 3 p.m., He drew me to the Secret Place, there to lean back and dwell with Him. Nothing required but my attention. And at the end, He whispered, and I heard Him. Both 3 a.m. and 3 p.m. changed me. Truth is, He can speak at noon or midnight when I’m eating and should be sleeping. He can speak loudly, and one day, when the trumpet blows, the entire earth will hear it. Sounds waves such as we have no concept of. He can be thunder and lightning, as He was with Israel at the mountain. Or fire from heaven, as He was with the prophet. He can be tongues so loud from an upper room that all of Jerusalem hears it. But it is the whisper that speaks loudest in my heart, to my soul. Because He didn’t have to shout at me. Instead, I listened. I heard Him and know He was pleased.

“Mine eyes prevent the night watches, that I might meditate in thy word.” (Psalms 119:148)

Sky Photo by Resul Mentes 🇹🇷 on Unsplash
Girl Photo by wang shuhong on Unsplash


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Suzanne D. Williams, Author
www.suzannedwilliams.com
www.feelgoodromance.com