Silence The Noise

Have you ever attempted to concentrate on a project, a task, or comprehend what you read in the midst of noise? I have, and let me tell you the loud noise interfered and interrupted my focus. For a moment, I had to stop what I was doing and see what the noise was about and I had to decide if I were going to continue with my task at hand or focus completely on the interruption. 

That is exactly how life is for us and at times when our focus is critical, the noise around us is unsettling. It is that way with some of the people in our lives too.  At times, when I decide to do the right thing or pray and wait on the Lord to answer my prayer, people around me tell me what they think I should do. Often they criticize my decision to wait on the Lord and do not understand why I did not act quickly on an important matter.  However, I find it important for me to pray and wait on the Lord’s direction, and not attempt to lead or point God in the direction I want to take or do what I think is best for my life. 

At one point, I was very sad and was so unappreciated at my job. I worked hard and lots of hours to accomplish much and I was very discouraged about the dysfunctional and hostile environment.  The Lord knew my situation and I prayed for direct leading from Him.  I had to purposely drown out the noise from other employees. Right about the time I thought I needed to run from that situation, my phone rang. It was a call from a recruiter who saw my resume online and he wanted to know if I would be interested in an interview with an organization with a healthy work culture, and of course, I said yes. I was so glad I was careful to not listen to the negative noise and move forward with the plans the Lord had for me. 

Jesus set a good example for us when he silenced the noise around Him. Jesus often would spend time alone to pray. He knew the value of His quiet time in prayer, alone and without distractions. In Mark, chapter five, we find another example of when Jesus silenced the noise.  Jesus met a man by the name of Jairus, and Jairus explained to Jesus that his daughter was very ill and asked if He would come to his house to heal her.  Jesus agreed to visit Jairus’ home and when they arrived, friends and neighbors were there wailing over the death of Jairus’ daughter. Jesus told them that the girl was not really dead, and the people ridiculed Him.  So Jesus being Jesus, straightforward told them to leave!  He was not going to allow the negative voices to cloud His mission. Jesus and Jairus and his wife went into the girl’s room and closed the door. In the stillness of the house, Jesus brought the girl back to life. 

This story taught me a valuable lesson in life; sometimes, we need to remove the negative noise, the negative people out of the room, out of our house, out of our lives in order to focus on the Lord and hear and see what He has for us.  The Lord truly knows what is best for us and He wants to reveal Himself and His plan to us.  We will not see it or hear it unless we focus on Him and silence the noise which surrounds us daily.  Be purposeful, be mindful to focus on the Lord and His Word and ask Him for discernment as you follow His leading and remove the negative voices which can rob you of richness of His blessing.