angelaschmeling

Last summer my husband and our kids took a trip with my parents and sisters and their family out to the Black Hills.

The Black Hills are beautiful and we got this gorgeous cabin in the midst of the forest in practically the middle of nowhere. Literally had to drive through a quarry to get to it.

One morning before anyone else was up, I stood outside on the porch or our cabin with a cup of tea and marveled at the miler and miles of hills and trees before me.

And then the quiet.

Now, I love my family very much. But they are not quiet. Not in the least. We had 11 of us staying at this cabin and when we were all awake and together it is NOISY. It is LOUD.

Now I am not complaining about that. I’m really not. I love getting together with family and hearing the joy and laughter. But sitting outside, where all I could hear was the wind blowing gently through the pine trees is a rarity.

I live in a city and often you’ll cars, dogs barking, so the quiet is refreshing.

My husbands favorite verse is:

Be still and know that I am God

Psalm 46:10

We need moments of quiet.

We need this time to not let the world encompass us, but let the stillness, the quiet, wrap around us and let the Lord speak to us.

In 1 Kings 19, Elijah had been hiding in a cave, God told him to come out. A huge earthquake came by, a large wind broke the mountain.

But where was God?

In a still small voice.

To truly hear from God, we need to block out the world. We need to be in the quiet, truly seeking Him and listening for His voice.