"You don't want the radio on this morning do you, honey?" my wife, Maria, asked.
Usually, during breakfast, we listened to the news. But this Monday we added the bonus of a quiet meal to our devotions.
The previous day we conducted services at a church across the city. Spring road repairs made traveling hectic. Though we allowed ample time to arrive unhurriedly, the detour mazes repeatedly routed us into the heart of the city. Finally, a patrol car directed us to the expressway.
Somewhat frazzled, and in need of another quiet moment with God, we reached our destination.
Sitting quietly in our car for several minutes, we worshiped silently and the tenseness dissipated, replaced with God's peace. Refreshed for service, we entered the church.
A hectic lifestyle is the accepted norm today. A friend, newly transferred to another state by his company, was appalled at housing costs in the new locale. The realtor informed him this was due to the demand created by the bedroom community's close proximity to New York City,
”only a one and one half hours ride by commuter train.” For many, such daily commutes are the norm.
I recently traveled the outbound lanes of an expressway where inbound vehicles were crawling into the city, bumper-to-bumper, three abreast. Tracking the situation for more than nine miles, I commented to my friend that an accident probably had occurred. He stated that such traffic was normal for that time of day. It’s considered normal today for three lanes of traffic over nine miles long, to travel bumper-to-bumper at crawl speed!
We all can cite comparable accounts illustrating that our society finds it impossible to relax. The tension factor is the accepted norm today. And, not immune to the standard, Christians, too, feel the resulting pressures. Therefore, in addition to personal prayer, we habitually should replenish ourselves, at convenient intervals, by quiet moments with God. Such unregimented getaways mat be enjoyed anywhere we can make time for them.
Believers in gentler generations understood the value of quiet moments. Long ago, an anonymous writer penned words apt to our times: "There is restlessness and fretfulness in these days, which stand like two granite walls against godliness. Contentment is almost necessary to godliness, and godliness is absolutely necessary to contentment. A very restless man will never be very godly, and a very godly man will never be a very restless man. 'Be still and know that I am God.'"
C. H. Spurgeon, quoting Matthew Poole, wrote that the still waters of Psalm 23 "...are opposed to great rivers, which both affright the sheep with their noise, and expose them to the danger of being carried away by their swift and violent streams, whilst they are drinking from them."
The Apostle Paul noted that for Christians to avoid society's debilitating tides, it would be necessary to "...go out of the world" (I Cor. 5:10). This being so, the noise and dangers of modern "violent streams" sometimes do "affright" us. By repairing often to the quietness of our
Shepherd's pastures, we permit His Presence to assuage the strains and tensions our times engender.
Jesus scheduled periodic rest from intense activity for His disciples. His words, "Come aside by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while," highlight the soul's quest for quiet moments (Mark 6:31 NKJ). For Christ, solitary times received high priority. His custom of retreating into
quietness with the Father emphasizes this need in each of us. If the Master required quiet moments, we, much more!
In his hymn “In the Garden” C. Austin Miles wrote that he began his quiet times with God "... while the dew is still on the roses..." and extended them until nightfall. Most likely, our calendars render such a schedule impossible. But, as we glean frequent, daily intervals for quiet times with God, we still may withdraw from these hypertensive times to hear His voice. During these moments, wherever we may be is transformed into a garden of fellowship, where He assures us we are His own.
© Josprel (Joseph Perrello)
