Embrace The Quiet (A Reminder Before Leaving Quarantine)

“The Lord is in his holy temple; let all the earth be silent before him.”

Habakkuk 2:20

God’s Voice, I’ve come to discover, is not typically an audible voice. God’s Voice is more of an impression upon the soul. It’s a nudge of the conscience towards our being the very best expression of ourselves. And it’s a gentle whisper that calms the weary soul with a refreshing truth.

God’s Voice resonates in the pure delight of my grandson’s laughter. This sound makes the toddler my teacher as it resonates a vaguely familiar yet long lost dimension of the soul of a serious-minded adult. God’s Voice is not just a matter of hearing but also seeing … old things in new ways. It's seeing new things that have always been there hiding in front of us in plain sight. God’s Voice is easily perceptible on a daily basis in the predictable grandeur of each sunrise and sunset. And His Voice ebbs and flows into our lives like the tides of the ocean on a thousand shorelines both far and near.

God’s Voice can be discovered in long walks more so than binge watching. And His Voice is often heard in the ‘slow downs’ of life but it’s rarely discernible in the ‘hurry ups’ of our collective existence. God tends to speak through the megaphone of our contentment more so than through the public announcement of our longings. God’s Voice is best perceived in solitude more so than in the muddle of a crowd. We hear Him in our rest as opposed to our restlessness. And He speaks in the pauses more so than in the non-stop planning and never ending movement that characterizes our lives.

God speaks poignantly into the voids and vacuums of our need but His Voice may become muffled within the crowded cacophony of our plenty. Perhaps you and I would be wise to be cautious as we prepare for an end to quarantine. Because we could be exposing ourselves to a far greater risk than an exposure to a virus. This is the risk of being immune to The Voice of God.

God’s Voice is everywhere. Yet the world seems full of people who remain asymptomatic to Its Omnipresence. So be still, my soul. Be attentive, my spirit. Be quiet, my fears.

God is speaking.

Are you listening?