AT TIMES, we desire to be quiet.
We try to escape the noise in the cities and forget the noise in our hearts.
We move close to nature and clean environments to find peace—but Quietness is much more than we think.
QUIETNESS is a state of living in the tranquility of the soul.
Cain was disquieted when God rejected his sacrifice. His mouth was closed, but his heart was open—and God spoke to him.
"Why are you angry? And why do you look so despondent? (Gen. 4:6)
God wanted Cain to take the pause.
PROVERBS 17:1 says, "Quietness and crusted bread are more valuable than a house of strife. (Prov. 17:1)
David enjoyed peace till he committed adultery—and when Nathan the prophet told him to choose, he begged God not to take His Holy Spirit from him. (2 Samuel 12:1-7; Psalm 51:10-11)
ANY FORM of Quietness gives you rest. You don't have to leave the city to find it.
It does not mean that you can't bubble, laugh or smile. It just means that you have confidence in God.
Paul and Silas could sing when they were thrown in prison because they had peace with God. (Acts 16:25-34)
They knew that God had everything under control.
Like Paul and Silas, you can sing. But you'll have to take the pause and be quiet.
Why does God want you to be quiet?
HE WANTS you to be quiet so that you can hear Him.
Jesus' first thirty years on earth were quiet.
At Cana, when they ran out of wine, he told his mom, "My time has not yet come." (John 7:6)
Once, he said, "Very truly I tell you, the Son can do nothing by himself, he can only do what he sees his Father doing because whatever the Father does, the Son also does. (John 5:19)
When they brought the woman accused of adultery to him, he did not say anything for a while.
He wrote on the ground. (John 8:1-11)
When you're quiet, it's easier to discern the voice speaking to you.
Sin makes the greatest noise
SOMETIMES, God will get you quiet because he wants to save you from yourself.
When Zechariah couldn't get his spirit quiet, God made him dumb for a season to save him from himself. (Luke 1:18-19)
God called his attention to that of a teachable spirit.
OTHER TIMES, situations will force you to be quiet.
At Ziklag, David was troubled because the Amalekites had plundered his camp and taken their families as prisoners.
When his men took rocks to throw at him, he knew he needed to be quiet.
David worshipped, and God told him what to do.(1 Sam. 30:8)
YOU ARE at your best when you're quiet.
And when you study to be quiet, you live an exemplary life. You earn the respect of others. (1 Thess. 4:11)
If your work is honest, it will come from a quiet spirit.
How can you be quiet?
TRANQUILITY starts with understanding the place of God.
You can never have a quiet spirit without the peace of God.
When you have Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour, he gives you peace.
This peace surpasses all understanding and will guard your heart and mind through Christ Jesus. (Phil. 4:7)
FOR THE BELIEVER in Christ, a quiet life begins with your schedule.
If you are going to study his word and pray, you must set aside time to be quiet.
You must adjust your surrounding to give you space.
Jesus took the pause
What makes the greatest noise?
SIN makes the greatest noise.
To deal with it is to confess it—when you do, God will forgive you.
How can you break the noise?
ONE WAY to break the noise habit is sometimes not to switch on the television or radio.
You can never be quiet while creating your noise.
And when you're perturbed in your spirit, you call your mind home and submit everything to the word of God. (2 Cor. 10:5)
BRINGING IT TOGETHER
IF WE LISTEN to God as intently as we pray, we will hear Him.
A great artist said, "I take my best strokes when I take the longest pause."
Jesus took the pause and accepted the call.
It's time to take the pause and be quiet!