LOWER THE VOLUME

“And after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire a still small voice.” ~ I Kings 19:12

REFERENCE:

I Kings 19:11-15

I like to listen to my music at a high volume. It is something I’ve gotten used to over the years. My wife is the opposite; her music is low volume, and she speaks softly. When conversing with her in the car, if my music is loud and she’s talking to me, I will say, “Speak louder; I can’t hear you.” She will reach out to the radio and lower the volume (which I don’t always like).

As typical and funny as this sounds, many of us have acclimatized to noise; the noise of worry, anxiety, bills, radio, TV, hanging out with friends, social media, and the hustle and bustle of daily living. The thing, however, is that we often miss the gentle voices that we most need to hear – the voice of our deep needs, a spouse seeking attention, a child needing love and guidance, a culture killing your business, your body asking for rest or the gentle voice of your conscience.

Elijah won a great victory but was battling depression; he needed comfort from God’s word. When God would speak, a strong wind broke rocks into pieces, then there was an earthquake, and finally, a fire. However, the Lord was not in any of these. He instead appeared in a still, small voice. Elijah heard it. Wow! He heard it amidst the earthquake, wind, and fire. Most of us would have followed the powerful manifestations and missed the still, small voice.

We need the voice of God to navigate life successfully. His voice is soft, still, and gentle; it is easy to miss it amidst all the noise around us. We need to lower the volume of our world and find times of solitude to be with and hear from God. We need to quiet the voices that speak in our heads (fear, worry, debates, transactions, etc.) and drop the phone, turn the TV/Radio off, stay away from social media, etc. Lower the volume so you can hear God’s still, small voice.

A spiritual seeker interrupted a busy life to spend a few days in a monastery. “I hope your stay is a blessed one,” said the monk who showed him to his booth. “If you need anything, let us know, and we’ll teach you how to live without it.” Isn’t that true? We can live without WIFI, TV, headphones, computer games, etc., to hear God. Sometime today, lower the volume.

PHOTO QUOTE

ADDITIONAL TEXTS:

Mark 6:30-32, Mark 1:35, and Exodus 3:1-5

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PRAYER:

+ Lord, I receive the grace to lower the volume of the world around me and to tune out every voice that promotes fear, anxiety, and worry in my life.

+ I overcome every distractive and disruptive force around me by the Spirit of the Lord.

+ I ask for quietness in my spirit to accurately discern and hear God’s still, small voice.