The beauty of silence

Greetings:
Let us begin this morning by bathing ourselves in the beauty of silence.
Enjoy the stillness, the tranquility, the peace of just soaking in the quiet time.
Too often we get caught up in the sounds of busy all around us in a very busy fast-paced world that thrives on robbing us of our time of silence.
I wonder at times if we don't let the noise of the world keep us from hearing the voice of God.
Silence is indeed hard to find.
There seems to be no escape from loud music, loud machines, noisy generators, and loud voices.
But the kind of noise that endangers our spiritual well-being is not the noise we can’t escape, but the noise we invite into our lives.
Some of us use noise as a way of shutting out loneliness.
Some of us use noise as a way of shutting out our own thoughts. Hearing other voices and opinions keep us from having to think for ourselves or dwell on our own problems.
Psalm 131:2 says, “I have calmed and quieted my soul.”
Don't let the chatter and loudness of the world all around us keep us from hearing what God has to say. But to hear, we have to be able to listen.
If we look to scripture we find that even at his busiest time, Jesus always sought out a place of solitude where he could have his own conversation with God.
Mark 1:35 says, “Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.”
In Luke 5:16 we read: “Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.”
That place of silence is a place where God has our full attention
That place of silence is a place where we can pray and listen.
That place of silence is a place where we can pour out our souls and open our hearts to God's direction, his plan and a place to receive comfort from the loving arms of God.
That place of silence is a place where are burdens can be laid down and real inner healing can begin.
Everyone has a different place where they can find silence.
For myself, it's very early in the morning in the office area of our home. Another place for my silence is sitting on the deck of my home and hearing nothing but the sounds of nature. It is there that I can have my time to have a conversation with God.
We must remember not to let the busy sounds of the world keep from letting us hearing voice of God.
Be blessed.