This is a guest post by freebread4life. Find out how you can guest post on Christian Web Trends here.
If you had to pick one word to describe the modern day era what word would you choose?
I think I’d choose the word…
Loud
There are cell phones going off and text messages being sent. Even if we’re not talking on them we have ear phones plugged into them with music blasting in our ears. There are planes, trains, and automobiles. We have an ever expanding amoeba called social media that connects us in an instance to current events taking place all around the globe. Of course there is tv and radio which are the backdrop to our lives. The internet shoots information through cyberspace at lightning speed as millions of people each day visit the latest “.com” that is all the talk.
All of this before we even mention our jobs and that they entail. The pursuit of the bottom dollar produces a pulsating heartbeat heard around the world by way of conference calls – meetings – deadlines – the list goes on and on as each of us attempts to carve out our “piece of the pie”. When you add all of that stuff up and much more life is just loud.
So much so that we can sometimes struggle to hear those things that God may only whisper.
We can miss instances where He has spoken because we are running here and then running there – so fast that we may run right past a crucial moment. So a concerted and deliberate effort should be made each day to stop – to slow down and listen – to get quiet.
Our quiet time with God is really no different than when we have an important call at work or need to discuss an important issue that will have a significant impact on our life. It would never cross our mind to have that conversation in a crowded night club or at a sporting event in the middle of 20,000 screaming fans. Instead we would get somewhere quiet – somewhere that we could hear every word and have a meaningful exchange with the other party.
When it comes to God, who is undoubtedly more important than a conference call at work, why is it that we often times don’t feel the need to make sure we are in a position to hear from Him and have a meaningful exchange as well?
Get quiet dear reader…
Float out with your Heavenly Father onto that lake called “intimacy”. Have long talks – share your heart with all its ups and downs. Share a laugh – share your dreams. He desires a relationship with each of His children and His heart aches when they do not reciprocate in kind. God cherishes each moment out there on the lake. The ripple of the water – the sound of the crickets chirping in the distance – and the early morning fog that blankets the scene right before sunrise when all is quiet. There in those intimate moments – where it’s just two old friends.
Application:
- Be Still – Despite a world that promotes a non-stop pace; learn to be still.
- Be Quiet– If you can’t quite make out what God is saying from a distance – get a little closer. You may find He’s saying “Be Quiet”!
How are you doing at carving out quiet time with God in your loud and busy life? What advice can you share with others who struggle with this?
