Good morning ladies. How are you doing on this Monday as we begin a new week? Anything new to share? How was your weekend? I would say that mine was fairly quiet, but the more I think about it, I don't really think that's true. In reality, it was supposed to be a quiet one, but on Saturday I got busy trying to do some things around the house and I wore myself out. Who knew that dusting could be so exhausting? And, I had so many other things on my to-do list, but they didn't get done...yet anyway. On Sunday, I woke up still feeling tired but wanted to get to church because it was part three of a message on healing. God has been working in me through these messages and I knew that I had to be there. By the time we got home and finished with dinner, I was done for the day...or so I thought. Casey gets in these funny moods from time to time, and last evening was one of those times. He loves to cook and bake and he also loves to try new recipes. Not just the type you might see on Pinterest or something kind of 'normal.' No, he actually looks up an idea that has popped into his head...something very unusual. So last night it was Turkish Delight. I'm sure many of you have heard of it from the Narnia series. It's a type of candy. We also had it when we were in England. PK and I didn't care for it at all. But I'm thinking, "Candy??" Making candy is something that I've always wanted to try, but haven't because it just seems so complex. And another thing...I don't have all the 'stuff' that you need to do it. But he was determined. He went to the store, actually several stores, and got everything he needed. At that point, I knew that we were deeply into this. I say 'we' because Casey always likes to have someone involved with him. I told him right away that I couldn't do anything to help him since I was so tired, but he assured me that all I had to do was read the recipe as he worked. Okay, I could do that. Let me tell you something. It was a long, grueling night with this candy making. He had to have two different pans going and he had to be stirring constantly. Also, the temperature of the liquid in the first pan had to go up to an exact point and not beyond, so that pan had a candy thermometer in it. So he was stirring and checking for what seemed like a very long time. The second pan had ingredients so thick that even Mr. Muscles was getting tired! It was all so intense. Not to mention the kitchen was a disaster. Sticky. Gooey. Ah, well, everything cleans up, right? He got it done and the pan of candy had to sit out overnight, so I went to bed with the mention that part of his adventure included cleaning the kitchen. I have this 'thing' about the house being all picked up and clean when I head for bed at night, so I didn't really know what to expect this morning when I went in there. Surprisingly, the dishes had been done, the counters wiped off (mostly), and his candy was sitting there looking pretty good. There's one last step for him to do today before we can all try it. Funny kid. I asked him where he found this recipe and what made him even think of it. His answer was that he wanted to try some things from around the world. I never told you, but last week he made churros, a fried dough pastry that is traditional in many Spanish speaking countries. I assumed the Turkish Delight was a British candy, but he told me that it's actually of middle eastern origin. So that was last night. Things certainly do stay interesting around here!
Devotion
Do you need more "quiet" in your life? Well that fits right in! Today's devotion tells us of the need to be quiet before the LORD and to listen for His voice. It also reminds us to be still. Have a Marvelous Monday ladies!
“The Sound of Silence”
“He says, ‘Be still, and know that I am God.’” Psalm 46:10a (NIV)
According to interruption science, we’re interrupted every three minutes. Sound familiar? (Or maybe three minutes is the most you’ll have today between interruptions!)
The very fact that we have a field of science dedicated to interruption is evidence of how bad noise has gotten in our world.
Consider this: For the past 30-plus years, an acoustic ecologist named Gordon Hempton has compiled what he calls “The List of the Last Great Quiet Places.” It consists of places with at least 15 minutes of uninterrupted quiet during daylight hours. At last count there were only 12 quiet places in the entire United States! And we wonder why the soul suffers.
It’s hard to tune out the voices of others, the call of social media, and the constant demands to do more and be more. But silence helps us hear God’s voice and sing His song.
Silence is the difference between sight and insight.
Silence is the difference between happiness and joy.
Silence is the difference between fear and faith.
Have you ever tried to quiet a loud room? Attempting to yell above the crowd usually doesn’t work. It’s far more effective to hush the crowd with a shhh. That’s the method God employs. His whisper quiets us, calms us, stills us. As we see in today’s key verse, “He says, ‘Be still, and know that I am God’” (Psalm 46:10a).
The “white noise” of the world might be the greatest impediment to our spiritual growth. By definition, white noise is a sound that contains every frequency a human can hear. And because it contains every frequency, it’s very difficult to hear any frequency — especially the still, small voice of God.
When our lives get loud, with noise filling every frequency, we lose our sense of being. When our schedules get busy, we lose our sense of balance, which is a function of the inner ear.
Can I go out on a limb?
Your life is too loud.
Your schedule is too busy.
That’s how we forget that God is God. And it takes very little to distract us. “I neglect God and his angels, for the noise of a fly,” said the English poet John Donne.
Over the past decade, I’ve recorded a dozen audiobooks with a brilliant sound engineer named Brad Smiley. During our last recording session, Brad told me about standard operating procedure for sound mixers in his industry. Before going into the studio, they let their ears relax and recalibrate through absolute silence. Only then are they ready to listen, really listen. Acoustic ecologists call the process ear cleaning.
If you want to hear the heart of God, silence is key.
If you want the Spirit of God to fill you, be still.
The psalmists referred to God as their refuge, their fortress, and their ever-present help in time of need. But my favorite descriptor might be the “hiding place.” “You are my hiding place; you will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance” (Psalm 32:7, NIV).
The voice can reproduce only what the ear can hear. My prayer is that you’ll learn to discern God’s voice. When you do, His songs of deliverance can set you free.
Simply put, God often speaks loudest when we’re quietest. Silence is so critical to our spiritual vitality that it’s worth meditating on one word or phrase of Scripture at a time:
Be.
Be still.
Be still, and know.
“Be still, and know that I am God.”
— Psalm 46:10a
Lord, I want to hear Your whispers louder than the noise of the world surrounding me. What do You want to say to me today? In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Proverbs 31 Ministries
Mark Batterson
TRUTH FOR TODAY:
Psalm 5:3, “In the morning, LORD, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait expectantly.” (NIV)
1 Kings 19:11-12, “The LORD said, ‘Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the LORD, for the LORD is about to pass by.’ Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper.” (NIV)
Devotion
Do you need more "quiet" in your life? Well that fits right in! Today's devotion tells us of the need to be quiet before the LORD and to listen for His voice. It also reminds us to be still. Have a Marvelous Monday ladies!
“The Sound of Silence”
“He says, ‘Be still, and know that I am God.’” Psalm 46:10a (NIV)
According to interruption science, we’re interrupted every three minutes. Sound familiar? (Or maybe three minutes is the most you’ll have today between interruptions!)
The very fact that we have a field of science dedicated to interruption is evidence of how bad noise has gotten in our world.
Consider this: For the past 30-plus years, an acoustic ecologist named Gordon Hempton has compiled what he calls “The List of the Last Great Quiet Places.” It consists of places with at least 15 minutes of uninterrupted quiet during daylight hours. At last count there were only 12 quiet places in the entire United States! And we wonder why the soul suffers.
It’s hard to tune out the voices of others, the call of social media, and the constant demands to do more and be more. But silence helps us hear God’s voice and sing His song.
Silence is the difference between sight and insight.
Silence is the difference between happiness and joy.
Silence is the difference between fear and faith.
Have you ever tried to quiet a loud room? Attempting to yell above the crowd usually doesn’t work. It’s far more effective to hush the crowd with a shhh. That’s the method God employs. His whisper quiets us, calms us, stills us. As we see in today’s key verse, “He says, ‘Be still, and know that I am God’” (Psalm 46:10a).
The “white noise” of the world might be the greatest impediment to our spiritual growth. By definition, white noise is a sound that contains every frequency a human can hear. And because it contains every frequency, it’s very difficult to hear any frequency — especially the still, small voice of God.
When our lives get loud, with noise filling every frequency, we lose our sense of being. When our schedules get busy, we lose our sense of balance, which is a function of the inner ear.
Can I go out on a limb?
Your life is too loud.
Your schedule is too busy.
That’s how we forget that God is God. And it takes very little to distract us. “I neglect God and his angels, for the noise of a fly,” said the English poet John Donne.
Over the past decade, I’ve recorded a dozen audiobooks with a brilliant sound engineer named Brad Smiley. During our last recording session, Brad told me about standard operating procedure for sound mixers in his industry. Before going into the studio, they let their ears relax and recalibrate through absolute silence. Only then are they ready to listen, really listen. Acoustic ecologists call the process ear cleaning.
If you want to hear the heart of God, silence is key.
If you want the Spirit of God to fill you, be still.
The psalmists referred to God as their refuge, their fortress, and their ever-present help in time of need. But my favorite descriptor might be the “hiding place.” “You are my hiding place; you will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance” (Psalm 32:7, NIV).
The voice can reproduce only what the ear can hear. My prayer is that you’ll learn to discern God’s voice. When you do, His songs of deliverance can set you free.
Simply put, God often speaks loudest when we’re quietest. Silence is so critical to our spiritual vitality that it’s worth meditating on one word or phrase of Scripture at a time:
Be.
Be still.
Be still, and know.
“Be still, and know that I am God.”
— Psalm 46:10a
Lord, I want to hear Your whispers louder than the noise of the world surrounding me. What do You want to say to me today? In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Proverbs 31 Ministries
Mark Batterson
TRUTH FOR TODAY:
Psalm 5:3, “In the morning, LORD, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait expectantly.” (NIV)
1 Kings 19:11-12, “The LORD said, ‘Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the LORD, for the LORD is about to pass by.’ Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper.” (NIV)
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