The Pause That Refreshes

Come Drink in The Silence

Are you surrounded by noise?

Is the television constantly on the moment you walk in the door?  The moment you turn the key in the ignition of your vehicle does the radio start blaring? Usually the workplace has its own unique noises which I think of as the "sound of productivity."  When do we ever get the chance to be quiet, to clear the "noise clutter" out of the brain, maybe even be still enough to hear God speak to us?

Recently, my husband and I took a drive and ended up at a park.  A big beautiful woodland area with no one at all there except us.  While I enjoyed the quiet and cherished the peacefulness, I wondered, "Where is everybody.  Why isn't this park being enjoyed by somebody besides us?

This isn't the first time we'd been to this particular park and no one else was there.  And this wasn't the first park we've visited lately only to find we were the only ones enjoying its beauty. If few of us avail ourselves of the amenities the parks and recreation department offers, will there someday be no parks to enjoy?

“Be still, and know that I am God..." Psalm 46:10

God's word teaches the value of silence.  Of course, we don't have to go to a park to be silent and hear God, but we need to take time to find a quiet place.

Recently, our bible study leader taught on being quiet before the Lord.  He used a scripture I had never heard before from the Modern King James Version:

"To You silence is praise..." Psalm 65:1

He challenged us to spend time in prayer by saying absolutely nothing, and then gave us an opportunity to do so.  It was much harder than I thought!  It takes quite awhile to keep all the random thoughts from coming to your mind - forgetting about the every day things, our schedules, concerns and even our petitions.  (Because, of course, the first thing on our minds when we pray is asking for something!) I must have a touch of A.D.D. because thoughts of  "what I'm going to do next" are the hardest thoughts for me to banish from my mind.


Finally, I was able to settle down and hear what I think God had to say to me for that day, which basically was "It is Well."  God has everything under control and I don't have to worry about anything.

Whew!  Talk about a pause that refreshes - taking time to hear God say that really rejuvenated my spirit and made me feel better. I am so thankful that He is always available when I go to Him.

I'm linking the above post to Thankful Thursday, hosted this month at Laurie's Women Taking A Stand blog.