Shhhhh! – In Quietness and Trust (Part 2)
In my last post, I relayed the story of a woman who told me she’d heard God speak. When I asked her what God had said, she replied, “Shhhhh!” If you haven’t already read that post, I encourage you to do so prior to reading today’s.
A few days ago, I read a Facebook post from Jodi Detrick, a woman who’s had significant influence in my life. I’d like to quote a bit of Jodi’s post because it’s exactly what I’ve been thinking lately:
“Maybe I’m the only one—I suspect not. I find myself hyper-alert to so many voices these days, trying hard to listen and learn from responsible sources….Too many voices can turn truth into an indiscernible mumble. Here’s what I know is important for me right now: in a shouting world, it’s necessary and good to say ‘shhhhh’—to shut the door and sit alone with God and my soul in utter silence.”
I could start naming all the different sources of noise, the myriad of voices with which we’ve all been bombarded these past few months, but I wouldn’t be telling you anything you did not already know and had not already experienced.
Instead, I’d like to focus on words spoken by the ancient prophet Isaiah to the nation in which he lived:
This is what the Sovereign Lord, the Holy One of Israel, says:
“In repentance and rest is your salvation,
in quietness and trust is your strength,
but you would have none of it.” (Isaiah 30:15 NIV, emphasis mine)
During these past few weeks, probably like many of you, I have tried to listen and learn from a variety of resources I consider trustworthy. It’s good, I believe, to listen and learn.
Sometimes, it’s good to speak up and state our sincerely held beliefs.
It’s good to stand firmly in honesty.
According to instructions given to the early church, it’s also good to submit to governmental authority (Romans 13:1-7).
But, might there be more than listening, learning, speaking, standing, and obeying? I believe so!
Like Jodi, I now feel I must follow advice given through the prophet, Isaiah, and Shhhhh! I desire the ‘still small voice’ of the Spirit to speak and instruct me in the importance of my repentance and rest. I look forward to finding new strength as God’s Spirit works in the deep recesses of my being, while in quietness, I learn to trust God in a more profound way.
In conclusion, I’ll leave you with the words of a prayer I loved from Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, French scientist, philosopher, and Jesuit priest (1881-1955)
Let me leave the surface and without leaving the world, plunge into God.
I pray each of us is willing to plunge into God…
