Noise can be very powerful. Sports teams will fight to have the best record to have a “home field advantage” for the playoffs. One main reason is hometown fans. Hometown fans always make more noise. All the yelling and screaming can make it difficult for visiting teams to hear signals or communicate with other players. Plus, the cheers for the home team can inspire and encourage players to perform at peak levels, forgetting their fatigue and causing an adrenalin rush. Noise can be powerful.
There were times when the Israelites were instructed to shout loudly as they went to battle. Perhaps this inspired them or intimidated the Enemy or both, but it had victorious results. Noise can be powerful.
Noise can be a powerful tool in the hands of our Enemy as well. It can be dangerous for us. He doesn’t have to get us to listen to him, he just needs to keep us from hearing the voice of God, and if he can create enough noise, it is to his advantage.
Our twenty-first-century lives are filled with so much noise that silence is often uncomfortable for us, even to the point that we will seek out noise if there is none. We turn on the television, even if we do not watch it. We always have music going in the background. We have even created noise machines to make “white noise” to help us fall asleep. Constant noise, however, makes it more difficult for us to hear and discern the voice of God. That is why solitude and silence may be one of the most misunderstood and most needed spiritual disciplines and perhaps one of the most difficult to practice in this noisy world of ours. This discipline involves spending time alone, with no distractions, to hear the voice of God better. God’s Word speaks to the importance of this continuing part of our lives.
“Be still and know that I am God.” - Psalm 46:10“.
“The sheep listen to His voice. He calls His own sheep by name and leads them out... And His sheep follow Him because they know His voice.” - John 10:3-4
As Christians, and especially as Christian leaders, it is imperative that we hear the voice of God and then obey. Jesus expects that we will listen to and follow Him as His followers, even amid all the distractions and noises that fill our lives. First, however, each of us needs periods of solitude and silence to know and hear God. Solitude and silence give us time to learn the sound of God’s voice without distractions, so we can more easily hear and recognize it amidst the many voices and distractions that fill our days.
Take time to be “intentionally still” and “actively silent.” Listen for God’s voice; gradually learn what he sounds like; get to the place where you can hear not only His shouts but His whispers. “Be still…..and know.”
Around the world, God is utilizing mothers' gifts to nurture and develop the next generation of leaders. So, as we celebrate moms and spiritual mothers alike, we want to say thank you for your sacrifice. You are making a Kingdom impact.