Category Archives: Faith

The Sound of Silence

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Sounds come at us all day long. People talking, children laughing (or fighting), conversations with our spouse, traffic passing by, doors opening and shutting, food cooking, birds, bullfrogs, and buzzings outside. No matter where we are or where we go, there is noise. And yes, if a tree falls in the forest and there is no one to hear it, it still makes a noise!

Do you ever just need to hear silence? I mean, maybe you’re not as desperate as I am, but I find it so hard to find a time alone; a quiet place where I can—you know—hear silence.

My world is so crazy, so busy, so crowded, (like many of us, I’m sure) that I find myself always looking for an opportunity to not talk, not interact. Don’t get me wrong, I love people, I love spending time with my family and friends. But sometimes I just need – Silence.

When I wake up early in the morning, sometimes I hesitate to breathe because I’m afraid someone will hear, and all the noises of the day will begin; distracting me from what really is important to me the first thing in the morning—listening to God.

Small Still Voice

With all the noises in life, it’s hard to hear the small, still voice that is God’s.

When my kids were small, if I had something important for them to hear, I would wait for them to quiet down, and when I was sure they were listening I would try to clearly explain to them what I wanted them to know, or what I was expecting of them.

If they were distracted in any way—watching TV, playing a video game, reading a book—they usually would not hear me correctly, completely, or not at all!

Sometimes, if I really needed them to listen to me, I would get on their level, put my hand on their shoulder, look them in the eyes and in a hushed tone (sometimes through gritted teeth, depending on the situation at hand) I would tell them what was expected of them.

And it’s usually during our quiet times together when I tell them how much I love them, or that I’m proud of them, or that I think they’re doing a terrific job being a human being.

Take Time to Listen

I believe the Lord speaks to us in the same way. I mean, yeah, He could boom His message through the clouds, or shout something out like the rumble of thunder, but He chooses to speak to us in hushed, loving tones as we seek to find His will for our life.

He lovingly tells us that He has a plan for our life, and if we are willing to listen, He will show us the paths to walk.

Seek His will in all you do, and He will show you which path to take.

Proverbs 3:6 (NLT)

For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.

Jeremiah 29:11-13

He whispers to us when we are afraid or unsure or have something hard to face.

In God I trust and am not afraid. What can man do to me?

Psalm 56:11 (NIV)

Have I not commanded you? “Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

Joshua 1:9 (ESV)

He lays His hand upon our shoulder and assures us that we are not alone, and that no matter how lonely we feel, He is always there.

…He is not far from each one of us:

Acts 17:27 (ASV)

… For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”

Hebrews 13:5 (NKJV)

…I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.

Matthew 28:20 (KJV)

And as His children, it’s so important that we turn off the TV, the radio, the phone, the world, the noise, and find a place of silence where we can look into the Father’s face and listen to what He is longing for us to hear.

…He rewards those who earnestly seek Him.

Hebrews 11:6 (NIV)

Devote your heart and soul to seeking the Lord your God…

1 Chronicles 22:19 (NIV)

You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.

Jeremiah 29:13 (ESV)

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Oswald chambers was a preacher/teacher from the early 1900’s. His book “My Upmost for His Highest” is one of the most popular devotionals to date. Below are some of his books, including “My Upmost for His Highest”.

American flag

America Is Great

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credit: DWilliams -pixabay.com

Making America Great

I love America! I believe there is no other place on earth that is as great as this country. 

I praise the Lord that I have been blessed to live in a country that its very foundation is the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Our nation’s core principle is freedom; freedom of peoples, freedom of properties, and freedom of religions. 

Our founding fathers did a great job of creating our government. With total dependence on God, they constructed our Constitution with the idea that we are all created equal and that we should have equal opportunity to pursue happiness.

I mean think about it; we Americans came into a strange foreign land and created a new nation! I mean, who does that? (Well, except the whole thing between God and Israel)

But with God’s provision and wisdom, our country was built on the shoulders of great leaders, breaking free from the strong hand of tyranny to do the impossible. Others fought the perils of nature itself to tame an uninhabited landscape. While others gave their lives on foreign soil to keep this country from those who sought to destroy her ideas; and are still doing so today.

America’s Great Legacy

And although some today would have us to believe differently, our forefathers (and mothers) relied deeply on guidance from our heavenly Father God in forming this nation.

During the Constitutional Convention, when it seemed hopeless to bring all parties into agreement, Benjamin Franklin called for unity and offered these words of wisdom:

“I have lived, Sir, a long time, and the longer I live, the more convincing proofs I see of this truth- that God governs in the affairs of men. And if a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without his notice, is it probable that an empire can rise without his aid? We have been assured, Sir, in the sacred writings, that “except the Lord build the House they labour in vain that build it.” I firmly believe this; and I also believe that without his concurring aid we shall succeed in this political building no better than the Builders of Babel.”

–Benjamin Franklin

America’s 1st President was a devout Christian who often invoked guidance from God as he attempted to wisely lead our newly developed country.

“It is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey His will, to be grateful for His benefits, and humbly to implore His protection and favor.”
– George Washington

And during a dark era when our country was literally divided within, President Lincoln offered these words of wisdom:

“And whereas it is the duty of nations as well as of men, to own their dependence upon the overruling power of God … and to recognize the sublime truth, announced in the Holy Scriptures and proven by all history, that those nations only are blessed whose God is the Lord.”
– Abraham Lincoln

Although there are many, many examples of Christians petitioning the Lord for wisdom and guidance and evoking others to do the same, I will stop with this last quote from Samuel Adams:

We have this day [Fourth of July] restored the Sovereign to whom all men ought to be obedient. He reigns in Heaven, and from the rising to the setting of the sun, let His Kingdom come.
– Samuel Adams

Keeping America Great

And although we have people fighting and feuding over what the best ideas are for our country to move forward, we can look at our past and predict our future by this one quote from 1 Chronicles 7:14:

If my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and forgive their sin and heal their land.

What a great inheritance we Americans have been given! And what a great commission we Christians have been entrusted.

Please remember to pray for the America.

America! America! 
God shed his grace on thee 
And crown thy good with brotherhood 
From sea to shining sea!

–Katherine Lee Bates