Can You Hear Me Now?

I often walk early in the morning, when the streets are quiet and the world is just waking.

The time and the atmosphere are peaceful.  The sound of birds is audible and a welcome part of the morning walk.  At times I will pass another walker and greet them.  During the day, when life is in full swing, greeting another is not the norm, but in the early morning quiet of the day that we are both sharing, a greeting seems to acknowledge the common activity we share.

 A simple hello gets nowhere though, if the other walker is wearing earphones.  Often an early morning walk is a great time to listen to books, the bible, a lecture or a talk.  But just as earphones put in sounds, they also block out sounds.  What is not being heard?  And that is the question I consider.  What do I miss when I cover my ears? The choice to listen to something is also a choice to not listen to everything else at that time.  How often do I cover my ears when God is speaking?  What do I fill my mind with and so drown out the sound of God?  He does speak, in shouts and whispers, but if my attention and ears are occupied, how will I hear?   

I am reminded of Psalm 46:10 "Be still, and know that I am God.   The command to be still relates to more than just physical activity.  Be still; nothing moving, not even the ear drum…be still.

 And a correlative verse from Habakkuk 2:20;

But the LORD is in his holy temple; let all the earth keep silence before him."

Silence and stillness are also good behaviors.  They help to keep the soul in shape even as movement and sound help the body and mind to maintain health.   Both are good to practice, but I find the first to be harder to do.  Realizing I have the ability to choose is good and helpful, but I must also make that decision, not leaving it to chance.  That will mean intending for times of quiet and stillness, planning them.   It will mean listening when I have asked something of God.  Would I ever ask a question of a friend and then ignore them when they responded?  Why, then, do I treat God that way?

Building in times of silence and stillness is not hard, but it can take getting used to.  Our lives seem to have a soundtrack of noise, lots of noise.  Take time to choose stillness, to choose silence, and hear what God is saying.