Be Still –Five Ways to Bring Quiet to our Live

By Beverly Hill McKinney

Traffic jams, children yelling, TV blaring, phones ringing, and music blasting--noise, noise, noise. It all contributes to our daily chaos. How can we find peace and quietness in our lives when they are frazzled by noise and distractions?

Let’s look in the Bible for clues. We will see many different ways the Lord speaks to us if we are ready to hear.

Moses was called from a burning bush; Elijah was called in a still small voice. David was tending sheep as a faithful son when he was called by God’s gentleness. It is difficult to hear the still small voice of the Lord in today’s world. How can we hear God’s whisper if all around us is the clamor of the world? We need to gain a spirit of quietness.

1) We need to allow the Lord to lead us throughout the day.
“…he leads me beside the still waters.” Psalms 23:2
Notice it says: “he leads.” If we are to find the still waters of life, we must be willing to listen and be led where He wants us to be. We must be still and hear where He wants to lead each day. When we allow Him to lead, He will show us opportunities to share His love with those around us.

2) We need to set time aside to be still in His presence.
“Truly, my soul waiteth upon God; from him cometh my salvation.” Psalms 62:1
“Be still and know that I am God, I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” Psalms 46:10

These verses tell us to wait and be still before the Lord. By setting aside just 10 or 15 minutes each day to sit and be still will result in a closer fellowship with Him and those we encounter in our daily lives. As we choose a verse or section of scripture, we can read it over and let it resonate in our minds. We have the opportunity to let the Lord show us how scripture can be used in our lives. As we wait on the Lord and come into His presence, we can set other things aside and put our minds totally on Him.

3) We can schedule a prayer time each day.
Maybe it is taking a break and closing our office door for five minutes of prayer. It can be taking a few minutes during our lunch hour to spend communing with the Lord. Or, after the children are down for the night, we can take those few quiet moments to talk to our Heavenly Father. Whatever time we set aside, it can be our scheduled time each day to spend with the Lord. I’ve found that a good way to begin or end my prayer time is to quietly recite the Lord’s Prayer. (See Matthew 6: 9-13)

4) We can plan a spiritual retreat.
Once a month we can plan a day to spend alone as a spiritual retreat. A city park with walking paths and places of quiet meditation can be a favorite place of retreat. A church retreat center can be a great place to stay for the day to spend quality time with the Lord. Even better is to take a weekend at a motel to set one’s mind totally on praying and meditating on the Lord. I find that including a short Bible study or devotional book helps focus my thoughts. One can also take the elements of communion (crackers and grape juice) and have a time of communion with the Lord, waiting in His presence.

Jesus saw the importance of getting away and spending time with his Father. Not even his disciples could distract Him from His time alone. He did not let the cares of the world keep Him from communing with His Father.

5) We need to set aside media distractions.
Often when we read our Bible or spend time in prayer, the TV or background music distracts our thoughts from our time alone. We need to turn off everything else and concentrate on God’s Word and His voice.

Psalms 62:5 says: “My soul, waits only upon God; for my expectation is from him.” The word “wait” in this verse is from a Hebrew root word meaning “being still” or “being quiet.” To receive all God has for us we must learn to be still and quiet before Him.

Let’s begin today to practice being still and quiet before the Lord so He can speak to us once again in His “still small voice.”

Beverly Hill McKinney writes from Rogue River, Oregon. bmckinnehill@yahoo.com