Be Quiet!

      Have you ever been told to be quiet? I try to be respectful of “quiet” zones. There was a time, especially in some churches, that when you opened the door to the sanctuary, you automatically became quiet. It was in a day that people would sit and think and pray to the LORD in the quiet of the moment. There were those times however, when I went into a room, talking in a rather loud manner, that someone would put their finger to their lips, scowl at me and do the traditional, “Shhhh.” I knew what that meant. I had to instantly be quiet. These last few weeks have been a “quiet zone” for many people. Our life styles have changed and in an instant, we have heard a message from God that reminds us to be quiet for a moment. Psalm 46:10 says, “Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth.”

       We have read the verse many times but for many, have continued on, making our usual noise and sometimes calling attention to ourselves and that is when we have heard the heavenly “Shhh.” Some will grumble because they don't like to be shushed by anyone. They will keep on talking but perhaps a little lower but finally the message gets through and we can hear God saying, “Be quiet.” God's voice has a way of demanding immediate attention and we stop in our tracks whatever we are doing. Our attention is immediately focused on God. All of the schedules in your Day Timer and the things on your “to do” list all take second place to God. Of course, it should have always been that way, but you know how things are when you are busy and important in your circle of acquaintances. There seemed to have been things that we just had to get done. All of a sudden, God stopped the wheels of government, the assignments at school, the sports activities, the high payed celebrities and the parades. God closed the bars and the restaurants. God caused you to stand in the doorway and look at your neighbor and maybe say something to them over the back fence, but not too close. You suddenly find that you now have time for prayer and for Bible reading and family. God used something very small to change our life in a matter of days. God sometimes uses things that are small to accomplish great things. He even used some hornets to get into the armor of an invading army. That will cause you some dismay in a quick amount of time. We had the Psalm above in our Bibles for years but God now has our attention. What lesson is He teaching you today? If nothing else, remember the words of the above verse that go on to say, “...and know that I am God...” Praise God today in a way none like the other times. Praise Him all day long. Praise Him with song and with prayer. Just behold His glory.