Isa. 40:31-41:1 31 but those who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint. 41:1 Listen to me in silence, O coastlands; let the peoples renew their strength;
Dallas Willard wrote:
Until solitude and silence have had their effects, our minds will very likely continue to be focused on the wrong things, or on good things in an anxious attitude of trying to dominate them.[i]
Silence can sometimes seem deafening. On one of our vacations we travelled to New Mexico and stayed at a place called Ojo Caliente. It is a resort with four different types of hot springs; lithia, soda, iron and arsenic. On the day before we left we arranged to spend time in private in the one of the hot tubs without a motor. There were no sounds around us. It was filled with water from the hot springs and 20 minutes later we came out and wrapped in a milagro blanket with the option of having your face covered. As I laid there on the table, body fully relaxed and surrounded in total silence I found I couldn’t quiet my mind. As I tried to clear it one thought after another would take its place.
This was also true during a short silent retreat I took one summer. As I sat taking in the beauty of God’s creation, listening to the gentle breeze as it rustled through the trees and the sound of birds in the background I again realized the difficulty of silencing my thoughts.
Silence can be deafening, however, in the deafening silence there is a voice that we can hear if we still our souls and wait. It is the precious voice of God speaking to us through His Holy Spirit. A voice that is heard when we clear our own ambitions and desires and seek His will for us. It is the same voice that came to Elijah while he sought refuge in a cave. It is same voice that spoke to Moses in the burning bush. It is same voice that spoke to David when he went up against Goliath with five smooth stones and it is same voice the still speaks to us today.
God still speaks to each of us today. If we slow down enough we will hear His voice and it will renew our strength; His voice is a voice of encouragement that provides the endurance to continue to do ministry for His glory. It is voice that ministers to our needs. It is His voice of grace, mercy, and love for us and for the whole world even in the deafening silence of our minds.
[i] From Renewing the Christian Mind: Essays, Interviews, and Talks. Copyright © 2016 by Willard Family Trust. All rights reserved. Used with permission of HarperCollins Publishers.
The Rev. Dave Newhart 