hush child

The busyness of the day was catching up with me. Thoughts were swirling around my brain like the rushing of a cyclone. The noise about me provided an annoying buzz in the background that only added to the chaos of my soul. All these combined into a swelling climax unknown to me, but when the place suddenly went quiet I almost jumped in shock.

Like a weeping baby finally held by her mother, my soul quieted quickly. I could hear my own breathing. A window was open in the kitchen allowing an evening breeze to push through the room and I only felt it for the first time. All these quiet experiences that I was ignoring, or simply couldn't hear, were welcoming me into the peace I longed for. The voices of silence were urging me into the awareness of God's nearness.

It was then I realized God's endless attempts to retrieve my attention and simply listen for a while. Something special happens when a mouth is closed. It gets quiet.

I can only hear the Lord's voice when I am listening. It may seem basic, but I need reminding of that. Life's deafening volume is a killer of silence, and with it the opportunity to hear God clearly. My caring Father loves me enough to gently put His finger over my lips and hush my soul.

There is much to learn. So I must be quiet and listen.

"I have calmed and quieted my soul, like a weaned child with its mother; like a weaned child is my soul within me. O Israel, hope in the Lord from this time forth and forevermore." Psalms 131:2-3