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“Be still, and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth.”
—Psalm 46:10, NIV
The sounds of silence intrigue. Pete McBride, October 2020 Smithsonian Magazine, agrees: “Silence is the think tank of the soul”…not a vacuum, but the “soundscapes that emerge when human noise disappears.” Gordon Hempton, self-described acoustic ecologist, says that noise pollution leads to high blood pressure, heart disease, heart attacks, stress, insomnia; quiet promotes “the regeneration of brain cells in the hippocampus, which is key for learning, memory and emotion.”
As the journal Science reports: the 2020 lockdown “was the longest and most coherent global seismic noise reduction in recorded history.” Add to that the days of February 2021 spent without power in much of Texas. The question is: have you taken advantage of the silence? Have I? Have I been still? Have I tuned into the heart of God? Am I more cognizant of just who He is?
Eugene Peterson puts it this way: “Step out of the traffic! Take a long, loving look at me, your High God, above politics, above everything.”
I don’t know about you, but when life’s distracting noises bombard my senses I best regain my equilibrium in the wonders of creation. There, the voices that declare God’s glory ring loud and clear.
My grandmother lived in a sleepy little resort town on Lake Huron. There was no better lullaby than waves lapping on the shore, no more soothing sunrise wakeup call to linger awhile with God. Funny how some sounds are that calming, that meditative.
On the other hand the 110dB roar of a waterfall (a typical rock concert is 115dB) shouts of the absolute power of the Almighty. Think of Niagara: Deep calls to deep in the roar of your waterfalls; all your waves and breakers have swept over me (Psalm 42:7, NIV). I have stood in your spray Niagara, looked into your tumbling foam, and caught a glimpse of God’s might. Then too I have seen your energy encased in the deep freeze of winter and yet you tumble down, under the incidental ice bridges, colored by a rainbow or two to glorify my Lord.
Of all the sunrises and sunsets and starlit skies I have enjoyed, the most spectacular was the northern lights in Saskatchewan one cold February evening. As we drove through the prairies the stubble in the fields, dusted with fresh snow, suddenly glittered gold. Fingers of green and gold reached down from the heavens, dancing every which way. We had to stop the car, get out, and praise the Creator of awesomeness: The heavens proclaim his righteousness, and all the peoples see his glory (Psalm 97:6, NIV).
And how about the hummingbird and me that early summer morning I sat on the porch in the mountains immersed in you, God? He flew in close, so close I could hear the hum of his wings, then retreated as quickly. I supposed it was the apricot-colored shirt I was wearing, not too dissimilar in color from the feeder on the balcony above. Or was it a gift to me, from You? Birds find nooks and crannies…singing their songs in the place where we worship (Psalm 84:3, MSG).
A tramp through the woods, even a walk out into the yard to refocus—the sounds of the world God spoke into being shout of the One who made them, all to His glory.
So too do the silences of times in His Word:
The law of the LORD is perfect, reviving the soul.
The statutes of the LORD are trustworthy, making wise the simple.
The precepts of the LORD are right, giving joy to the heart.
The commands of the LORD are radiant, giving light to the eyes.
The fear of the LORD is pure, enduring forever.
The ordinances of the LORD are sure and altogether righteous.
—Psalm 19:7-9, NIV
It is the Spirit in us who reveals all things that we search for in earnest in God’s Word, and as we listen for His voice as we wander. He, in turn, has searched the deep things of God. Really, no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God, whom we have received (1 Corinthians 2:11, NIV).
“No eye has seen,
no ear has heard,
no mind has conceived
what God has prepared for those who love him”—
but God has revealed it to us by his Spirit.
The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God.
—1 Corinthians 2:9-10, NIV
Be still then, my soul. Be still! Listen for the sounds of God.
“There is hardly ever a complete silence in our soul. God is whispering to us well-nigh incessantly. Whenever the sounds of the world die out in the soul, or sink low, then we hear these whisperings of God.”
—Frederick William Faber, Streams in the Desert, September 18
May all the peoples see his glory!
Nancy Paul
Nancy Paul is Canadian born and bred but happily settled in Texas. She is married, mother of two, and grandmother of three busy boys. A long time Womenary student, she loves to read, is a lover of God's word and a wannabe writer. Nancy is a regular contributor to encouraging.com, a collection of blog articles regularly published by the women of Green Acres Baptist Church of Tyler. As well, she is the women's Bible study coordinator at GABC. 
