The Sound Of Silence Is Sweet

Common Sense Commentary: "The sound of silence? No such thing ! Silence is silence. You can't hear what isn't there" says the busy mind  absorbing noise, analyzing it and  spewing out opinions of its own. My title may not pass the audio frequency test of 15 to 20,000 sound waves per second but there is still that "still small voice of the Lord" which speaks to the listening soul which others do not hear. 1K.19:12.

Throughout my life I have sought out the most isolated, quiet places on earth for my own spiritual, physical and mental restoration. Those places have ranged from  Alaska's Arctic Circle, deserts, oceans, islands, Hudson Bay in Canada's far north, the Big Bend of Texas,  deserted beaches,  mountains and the Appalachian Trail many times. It seems I can hear God more clearly atop a mountain looking across a vast series of rolling, purple mountains without any sound whatever except maybe the  birds glorifying God with their song.

So I speak not of fleshly, physical, audible sound but of the spiritual sound of God speaking to the soul of a person who has spiritual ears to hear the word and will of God. That is why God said, "Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted ...." Psm.46:10.   The Hebrew word translated here as "still" is raphah and  means, "Settle down, think and meditate ... You may learn something." Put
another way, "Shut up, stop struggling and listen to God for a change." The sound of silence is heard only in the receptive, willing soul."

From the beginning of time some have yielded to God, willfully accepting Him and He has spoken to their souls. Others have resisted His will and words which leads to denying Him out of hand and rejecting His Lordship over their lives. The eventual result of that is a "hardened heart" so that they "cannot" hear the things of God. These had fleshly ears to hear worldly things but were deaf to God's voice in their souls. "Son of man, thou dwellest in the midst of a rebellious house, which have eyes to see, but see not; they have ears to hear, and hear not: for they are a rebellious house." Ezek.12:2. They missed the very purpose of life... by choice.

Jesus said many times, "He that hath ears to hear, let him hear." Matt.11:15. Often when He spoke in parables or of some great truth, He would say, "He that hath ears to hear, let him hear." He knew that only those who believed on Him, or were willing to believe, could receive the meaning of His words.  They had a spiritual hunger to hear from God and were thereby receptive to that "still small voice" of
of the Spirit of God .... who does not need to shout to be heard.

This was one of Job's problems. He was so depressed at losing everything, including his wealth, family, friends and health that he complained, spoke out of turn and struggled in his own strength. But God spoke to his heart or soul and said, "Stand still, and consider the wondrous works of God" Job. Job 37:14. To
paraphrase ... "Shut up Job, stop complaining and struggling in your flesh and
THINK, MEDITATE, PRAY and "consider the wondrous things God has said, created and done for you. Listen to me Job."

The Apostle Paul counseled, "Study to be quiet." or Learn to Meditate and listen.  IThess.4:11. When Job finally grew in grace to that spiritual level, a spiritual  transformation of attitude and understanding happened in his life.   When he stopped complaining and struggling in the flesh and opened his heart to God,  a great change came over him. When he opened his ears, eyes and heart to know God better and see God's glory, goodness, power and purity, he saw himself for the first time for what he really was ... in comparison to God. He said, "I have uttered things I understood not; things too wonderful for me, which I knew not...
Lord ... I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear: but now mine eye seeth thee. Wherefore I abhor myself and repent in dust and ashes." Job.42:3 & 5-6.
This spiritual awakening was, after all, the reason God let those terrible things happen  to Job .... so he could hear God and see God and himself more clearly.
Lord help us to slip away to a quiet place absent of all worldly noise and open our hearts and minds to the Spirit of God and quietly listen to what He says in that "still small voice" to our inner man or woman. And when we  feel His Holy  presence, let us be quiet and listen ... and learn. 

Pass it on. RB