HEARING GOD IN NOISY PLACES

Ron Bainbridge

Today’s Message of Encouragement from Discovering A BETTER LIFE MINISTRIES

https://abl-alb.wixsite.com/discoverabetterlife

(Stories of Real People, Real Events, Real Places)

And are dedicated to HELPING

PEOPLE FIND PEACE and HOPE

(John 10:10)

(Ron Bainbridge, Editor) (February 22nd, 2020)

HEARING GOD IN NOISY PLACES

Friend, have you ever felt guilty when somebody quoted this Bible verse: “Be still, and know that I am God?” (Psalm 46:10)

Perhaps if you’re like me, you’d like to find a quiet time today, maybe you’re even planning for it. It is true, that wonderful things can happen in times of solitude, stillness, and silence before God. But they are hard to come by – and simply aren’t available on some days or in certain life experiences.

There’s precious little time for stillness when production deadlines are close. A report is due in three hours. Or an inspection is in progress. And if you live in a big city, there are voices and horns with constant motion. And shared living space has someone else’s music, someone else’s TV, and someone else’s voice constantly infiltrating your inner thoughts.

Then there is “noise” of a different quality altogether. Pain from illness or injury might scream at you. The pressure of finding a new job or putting life together after a death takes away from your tranquil sense of God. Sadness, disappointment, and loss crash over you with the roar of an angry sea.

However, strange as it may seem to say, the greater the need for some of us may be less for stillness than to learn how to hear God’s voice in the middle of all the noise, chaotic activity, and disorientating trouble.

In Psalm 107: 27-31 we read the following words: “They reeled and staggered like drunken men; they were at their wits’ end. Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble, and he brought them out of their distress. He stilled the storm to a whisper; the waves of the sea were hushed. They were glad when it grew calm, and he guided them to their desired haven. Let them give thanks to the Lord…”

Friend, do you really think ours is the first generation of humankind to feel the pressure of noise, tension, and uncertainty? Of course it isn’t! And the experience of some of those people referred to in Psalm 107 can guide us in our times of stress.

Whoever the subjects of Psalm 107 were, they were reeling and staggering under their load. There was no serene stillness before God for them. To the contrary, they were “at their wits’ end.” So right in the middle of their frenzy and distress, “they cried out to the Lord in their trouble”– and God heard them!

In fact, no matter how extreme our calamity may be, God is able to break through to help us. Indeed, He is loving and kind to all men and women who are distressed. And to receive the comfort and help God is willing and able to provide us in our times of distress, all we need do is take the time to talk to Him.

My friend, if your life has more tumult than stillness, more crash than tranquillity, let me assure you God has not eluded you. He beckons you to cry out to him, and he will show himself to you. And in the middle of all the noise and discord in your life, you will find Him with you, in the middle of it all!

Serenity and Tranquility

In ISAIAH 40:29-31,we are reminded that even the strongest people get tired at certain times in our life. But God’s power and strength never diminish! He is never too tired or too busy to help and listen to our deepest needs and His strength is our source of strength.

Friend, never forget, that when you might feel all of life is crushing you and you cannot go another step, remember that you can call upon God to renew your strength, just as He has promised in ISAIAH 40:29-31.

If you’d like some further reassurance of what I’ve shared with you today, I encourage you to write for our two FREEbooklets that reveal more about the God who cares for you.

To receive your copies of “How to find God” and “WHERE TROUBLE CAN’T HURT YOU”, write to Discovering A BETTER LIFE, P.O. Box 1540, Albany, Western Australia 6331. Telephone us on: (08) 98 418 418.