Daily Devotion

The Art of Noise

"And after the earthquake there was a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire there was the sound of a gentle whisper."  1 Kings 19:12

 

I hear from God.  Sometimes He is always speaking, other times not so much.  A lot of times I have so much noise, so many distractions in my life and heart that I cannot hear Him speaking. 

 

God speaks to all of us.  I have learned that God has allowed some unsettling situations, difficult experiences, and quite frankly, destruction to wreak havoc in my life just to get my attention.  I realized that though I have a relationship with God, I demoted Him.  God was not number one in my life--no He came a distant second to whatever I happened to be dwelling or focusing on at that moment.  From work, to family, to school, and let me not exclude them, relentless pursuit of a relationship...they have all taken precedence over God at different times in my life.  And when anything does that, that is noise for you because you will not be able to hear from God clearly.  I have even lost what I felt was seeking His will to become noise for me, noise to not give Him the time, attention, and affection He needs.

 

My last nearly three years back in South Carolina have been tumultuous to say the least, from my surgery to my cousin and dad's deaths, to finally having a plan and perspective for my life.  But at the heart of these things has been the call of God drawing me back in relationship with Him.  Yet instead I focused on each event--the noise, most definitely the negatives of these situations, rather than seeking God's purpose for each event.  We have to acknowledge life for what it is because it would be foolish to walk around in denial.  However, the distinction is that we can walk alone and continue to live in a noisy world, without God's guidance and direction, straying ever so far away from His planned destination.  Or we can cling to God in the midst of each situation and learn more about the person God is creating us to be.  We can learn to love ourselves in the reflection of God's presence--because God is love.  We can step out of the noisy room and get quiet.  For me, God sent me on trips...go figure...where I would inadvertently be alone, and He would speak crystal clear so that I could not deny Him being there.

Noise can be used to create some of the most beautiful things.  Look at the precious stones created after the explosion of volcanoes.  I most certainly know that God has created in me some beautiful things, out of the hard, painful things life has dealt to me.  I realize though that it is through the noise that I have learned to listen more carefully. 

 

"Listen and hear my voice; pay attention and hear what I say." Isaiah 28:24 NIV