Scripture
This is what the Sovereign Lord, the Holy One of Israel, says: “Only in returning to me and resting in Me will you be saved. In quietness and confidence is your strength. But you would have none of it.
~Isaiah 30:15
Quote
If we refuse to come apart, we will eventually fall apart.
~Vance Havner
Why did the LORD create a sabbath? Because we have a deep need for rest, relaxation, quietness and worship. We live in a noisy world. Even on Iron Man road we hear sirens practically every day and sometimes at night. There is traffic both on the ground and in the air. I drove to Hartselle to get a biscuit at 5:15 last Sunday morning and I counted ten cars on highway 36. I told June, “All the old folks are getting out early to get them a biscuit.” I went to Joe David’s a few weeks back to work on the closets and the electricians were there. They had a jam box plugged up and they were playing music that frazzles the nerves. It didn’t take me long to make a decision. I decided to come back when no one was there. Everyone seems to love noise and the more the better. The older I get the more I love peace and quiet. I have a desperate need for quietness. I am not going to say that God cannot speak to us in the noise but He speaks more often in the quietness. The voice Elijah heard was like a whisper and I cannot hear a whisper in the noise.
Why is it that we humans surround ourselves with noise. I use to visit a man who would have the TV on and also the radio. I cannot function under these conditions; I can’t hear myself think. I went to Keith’s shop a few weeks ago {before school started} and his three younger grand boys came in the shop behind me and were jabbering ninety to nothing. I said, “Boys, I ain’t granddaddy and I can’t work with you guys talking and asking me questions. You are going to have to go outside and play.” I love kids but I can function in noise. The bad thing these days is that folks want to share their noise. I was sitting at a traffic light in Hartselle just the other day and all of a sudden I heard this loud music. It was so loud it was rattling the windows in my vehicle. It was a guy on a motor cycle. He had a boom box on the cycle and you could hear him from a block away.
Why do people love noise? I could be wrong but I think I have the answer. When I was a boy, I tried to be gone by the time daddy got home from work. The creek was less than a mile away but it was out of range for daddy’s voice. Trust me, I did not want to hear his voice because I knew it meant one think–work. He was always coming up with something for me to do and I preferred play to work. I think people love noise because they do not want to hear God’s voice. They surround themselves with noise because they are afraid of hearing His voice. Israel refused to be still and wait in quietness before the LORD. Instead of trusting the LORD, they turned to Egypt {world} for help. I think we are making the same mistake. You need a quiet time: we all need a quiet time.
Extra
None of my Wednesdays have been normal for a month so I am praying for things to go as usual today. I am anxious to get back into my sermons on Psalm 119 and I hope to get some more visiting done also. I hope you have a great day and thanks for reading the blog.