Silence IS Golden

Silence truly is golden (of course that's my opinion).  I am a father of four beautiful kids that really are gifts from God.  The oldest is Sarah and she is eight.  She has a wonderful singing voice and is the big sister she feels like she needs to be.  She cares for the rest like they were her own, even down to trying to be the boss and letting all the others know she is around.   The next is Noah and he is six.  This boy does not run out of energy.  He is the typical little brother that pesters Sarah at every opportunity.  Then there is Moriah.  She is two and absolutely full of vim vigor and vitality.  She is sweet as a gumdrop, but ornery like a pitbull.  She has a glass shattering squeal that she tries out every so often just to make sure she's still got it.  Finally, there is Isaiah.  He is ten months old so naturally, he cries often.  He has recently gotten mobile so that helps, but now he ends up getting stuck or high centered which leads to cries for help.  He is the typical rotund and healthy little boy.  That is at the house.

Now at work.  I am a restaurant manager with McDonald's.  No matter how much noise there is at home, it pales in comparison to what lay in wait for me at work on a daily basis.  Teenagers, adults who act like teenagers, and customers who want to make sure they are heard when they speak tend to make a pretty loud day.  Regardless of where I am, there is only noise.  All the machines and equipment make all sorts of hums and beeps and grinds and whirrs all their own as well.

I was studying and came across 1 Kings 19:11-12.  Elijah was in the cave and was seeking God.
Elijah is told to go out and stand on the mountain before the Lord.  As the Lord passed by, A mighty wind came a broke the rocks into pieces.  God was not in the wind.  Next was an earthquake.  God was not in the earthquake.  After the earthquake, was a fire.  God was not in the fire.  After the fire was a still small voice.  When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his tunic and went to stand at the entrance of the cave.  I will let you dig for the rest of that story.

This seems like a good parallel for our lives sometimes.  All these things cause so much confusion.  Whether it is a job or the rigors of raising kids, something is always there to take our time away building up our spirit-man.  In this story of Elijah, it was not until after all these things had happened did he go out like he was instructed to to start with.  We tend to try to balance all the stuff in our life so everything has a turn.  Ball practice, dance class, play practice, and after the kids finally get home, dinner and homework.  By the time all these things are finished, so are we and our day is as well.  We have to get some sleep so we can do it all over again tomorrow.  What I really got to thinking about was all the noise.  When do we ever have a chance to turn the world off.  Turn off the tv and the stereo and the cell phone.  How often do we set aside time to turn our own mouths off and get quiet before the Lord so we can hear what He is saying.  I go to work at around 4:30 a.m. so i can usually get at least a few minutes of quiet time every day.  By the time I get home, I am drained.  The kids are wound up, so it is time to play and be a dad.  I cannot help but to think that some of the distractions are there on purpose help me realize that I NEED time alone with God when I can be quiet and listen to what He is wanting to speak to my spirit by His spirit.  When we make time for silence as we do with many other things, the limits to what God can do with this time are gone.  

When I was growing up, I used to hear my folks say," Hurry up and wait".  I think I am going to try a new approach to my closet time with the Lord. I am going to hurry up and get silent and listen for that still small voice.  


I know it was long and thank you for reading this.
What are some of your impressions of this meeting between God and Elijah?

In Christ
YPM