We live in a world filled with noise.
Nowadays, everyone carries a smartphone in his pocket. That little device is constantly blurting out to us with phone calls, text messages, emails, alarms, reminders, music, videos, news, social media.
Often, the leisure activities we choose to “relax” with simply add more noise. Loud movies, music, and sports matches. We are in a state of constant stimulation — colors, lights, sounds, ideas. All of it places strain on our eyes, our ears, our minds — and our souls.
None of this is accidental. This hyperstimulated modern world in which we live is the deliberate creation of those who do not want you exposed to the silence and what you might find in it.
Because what is to be found in silence is communion with the Almighty.
Remember, we read in 1 Kings 19 of the “still small voice” of the Spirit of God.
If it is still and small, then you are unlikely to hear it amid all the noise of modern living. Jesus said “seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.” Those who truly want to can hear the voice of God. But they have to seek. They have to turn off the noise and strive to listen with all their attention.
There’s a reason the spiritual from the beginning of time have sought God in the wilderness. Moses, Abraham, and Elijah all escaped to the mountains to speak with God and angels. It is in the quiet, in the silence, in the areas that have been unspoiled by the contamination of man, that we may truly hear Him.
In the Old Testament, the building of the Temple was very significant. Now that Israel was an established, civilized nation where the city was the center of activity, there was needed a place that, while existing inside that urban environment, was nevertheless removed from it. A place where one could enter and step into the same quiet and peace Moses found upon Mount Sinai.
We must note one crucial aspect of church attendance — and one reason why the satanic oligarchs do not want us going to church. Now, of course, there is an important social aspect to church worship — communing with others of the faith is a huge spiritual strength.
But being in a church building, whether a huge cathedral with lush statues and stained glass windows or a simple country church house, and sitting in the pew in silence, taking in the drone of the organ while meditating upon the infinite majesty of God and the love of Christ manifest in His sacrifice — that is the moment when, with all other distractions and noises shut out, one truly becomes receptive to the voice of his maker.
There is a further lesson to be taken from the biblical Temple. Just as the Israelites built a sanctuary in the middle of the city, so can we create our own spiritual sanctuaries even amid our modern, bustling lives. And just as the children of Israel first had the Tabernacle, which they could take with them wherever they went, so our personal sanctuaries do not have to be limited to a specific time or place.
A weekly church service can, certainly, fill that spiritual need for quiet communion with God. But we can and should create other such opportunities throughout the course of our days.
In the early morning, before most of the world is awake, and before the day’s responsibilities start calling, one can sit in silent prayer and meditation, with the Bible in hand, to speak to and listen to the Lord. Likewise, at night, one can turn off all devices and rest in silent spiritual communion in the moments before retiring to bed.
We can also schedule more peace and serenity into our routines in other ways. Trips to nature, walking among the trees and shrubs and hills and lakes, far away from screens and speakers. Going out on the ocean. Visiting a garden. Even going to a library or museum, switching off the phone during that time and focusing only on the artistic or literary beauty present there.
In the above examples, one might not overtly be praying or engaging in religious activity. But the quiet is still healing, calming, and regenerating, and allows one to be open to the influence of the Holy Ghost.
By incorporating such activities into your routine, you will find yourself feeling a greater degree of peace, confidence, patience, and positivity in your life. You will be less stressed and have more enthusiasm to face life’s challenges. You will have a greater degree of inspiration and creativity as God plants ideas in your mind.
And, most importantly, you will live with the powerful assurance of God’s reality and of His plan of salvation, as you will become witness to His voice.
The technological advances of our era can certainly be a blessing. Smartphones, computers, and televisions are all useful instruments.
But all things in moderation — let’s limit our focus on the trending and give more of our time to the eternal.
