Fighting Through The World's Noise
Music and news follow you around as you get ready.
People and pets talk to you in all their many languages and you reply.
You have a podcast on or stream music in your car.
Traffic noises surround you on the road.
Music and announcements are constant while you're shopping.
Notifications come through your phone for every text, call, and email.
Construction blares through the window as you drive past.
Television or movies are always on.
Telemarketers make your phone ring, no matter what precautions you take.
And on and on it goes from morning to night. Our entire day is filled with noise, no matter where we go. We're bombarded with people trying to get our attention — they want to change our opinion, sell us something, or fill our minds with whatever message they have for the day. And it's never-ending noise. Unless you wear earplugs, close your eyes, and never leave the house, you can't get away from it.
And we wonder why our brains are on overload all the time.
How can we expect to have peace, joy and calm in our lives when our ears are attacked from every side? How can we hear the voice of God over the soundtrack of daily living?
A look at the gospels gives us Jesus' answer.
And it came to pass in those days, that he went out into a mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God. Luke 6:12
When He was surrounded by enemies, Jesus went out of His way to be alone with God. When the people were pressing in, He went to spend long hours alone with His Father. When it seemed like He was being bombarded from every side, He took it to God in prayer. When the world around Him was just noise, it was time to get away.
Can it really be that simple? It is just a matter of getting away and spending time in prayer?
Jesus said it was.
But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly. Matthew 6:6
Turn off the noise, get away, and take it to the Lord in prayer.
Why do we make it so complicated? Think about what you do when you're driving to a house you never been to before. You're trying to concentrate and look for house numbers, so what do you do? You turn down the volume on the car radio. You don't want to miss it and drive right on by, so you get rid of that distraction for a few minutes.
And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, he went out, and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed. Mark 1:35
The verse right before this one describes how busy Christ was in His early ministry. He healed many and cast out many devils — not just a few but many. So what does Jesus do immediately thereafter? He gets up early, before the noises of the day began again, and went to be alone with God.
There were many, many times when Jesus had given just about all His human body could give, and He's ready to just be still for a while. To do so, He leaves the world behind, finds a solitary spot and fellowships with God.
Our perfect example here is that we're allowed to turn off the noise of the world. It's OK to focus our attention on just one thing for a while. And it's definitely necessary to shut down and reboot in the presence of God. He expects it and delights in it. Sometimes it's the only way you're going to hear His still small voice, so He's counting on that time with you.
So when the noises of the world are pressing in, turn down the volume, find a quiet spot and listen for the voice of God. He's waiting for you.
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