The Voice in the Stillness – December 05, 2000
One of the most beloved Christmas songs celebrates that sacred, silent night when Christ was born. Other carols and hymns likewise call our attention to the stillness and the hush attending that holy birth. The gifts that come wrapped in silence are among the most cherished we know.
Through the Psalmist, the Almighty gives us directions on how to receive the most blessed and fundamental gift: “Be still, and know that I am God.”1 We don’t talk our way to faith; rather we are endowed with that pearl of great price by listening. The child Samuel, chosen of God for a particular calling, heeded the words of the priest Eli. When the voice of the Lord came to him, calling, “Samuel, Samuel,” he did not ask questions or protest that he was too young for what God had in mind. Instead, he simply said, “Speak; for thy servant heareth.”2
Other gifts follow when we have stilled the noise of the external world. Admittedly, muting that noise is not easy today. For most of us, the world outside is very intrusive and very loud. From every direction come voices that seek to persuade us, alarm us, entertain us, distract us— television and boom boxes, motorcycles and jackhammers, sirens and jet planes—sometimes silence seems as rare as a precious gem. But each of us, if we seek, can find that place of stillness, whether in a hushed corner of a public library, a hidden grove off the traveled path, or a place set aside for meditation and prayer.
When we have ears to hear and have stilled the clamor of the world, then we can receive gifts from on high to enrich our faith and bless our lives. For heaven has sent us messages in stars and in seashells, in burning bushes and in fig trees, in a few loaves of bread and a small basket of fish, in a coin or a dove. Indeed, we are sent messages every day of our lives from a loving Creator. It’s our choice to be still and hear them.
Program #3668
1. Psalm 46:10.
2. 1 Samuel 3:10.