“Be still, and know that I am God.” Psalm 46:10
As we enter into our third week of social distancing, I have to admit that things haven’t played out the way I was expecting. I’m somewhat introverted by nature so, while this is nothing any of us would choose to do voluntarily, I was prepared to take it in stride. We live in hectic times with information and requests for information coming at us from all directions. And while I’d never want to minimize or lose sight of the suffering that is occurring all around us, I have to admit there was a small part of me that was looking forward to breaking away from my daily routine, and maybe disconnecting from all the noise associated with it in the process.
Instead, I’m finding, and perhaps you are too, that the amount of information coming at me has increased dramatically over the past two weeks. I’m receiving constant updates on the corona virus from national and local news outlets. Every vendor our company has ever used is reaching out almost daily to let me know that they are working tirelessly for us during this crisis (they aren’t really) or that they have the perfect product or service that we need during this crisis (they don’t really). I’m also receiving updates from every store I’ve ever shopped at (and some I’m pretty sure I’ve never shopped at) letting me know that they are still here for me when I need them. Even our ministry partners are providing regular updates designed to help us adapt so the church can continue to fulfill its mission. Many of these updates are necessary and genuinely helpful. Others are simply a new way to market products and services. And still others seem to be aimed at self promoting, as if the sender is simply trying to remain relevant during a time when my attention is rightly focused elsewhere.
Whatever their intended purpose, all these extraneous voices tend to ramp up our anxiety levels by telling us we should be more alert and fearful than we already are. But the worst thing about all these voices is that they can easily drown out the voice that we need to hear more than any other. The voice of God.
God speaks to us in many ways but He rarely shouts to get our attention. In fact, He almost always whispers, so that we must draw closer to Him in order to hear. In order for us to hear God’s voice, we have to be intentional about seeking Him and that means being intentional about shutting out some of the noise around us. God speaks to us in a number of different ways but the most obvious is through the written word of the Holy Bible. When we regularly study God’s word, whether in small groups or through personal devotions, we come to know Him more completely and hear Him more clearly. My personal experience with this is that small group studies expand my intellectual understanding of the written word while my personal devotions strengthen my personal relationship with God. As I grow closer to God in both my head and my heart, He reveals Himself to me in ways that compel me to lean in even closer so I can more easily discern His voice. The whisper grows louder as I eliminate the competing voices in favor of His.
As we continue to physically distance ourselves from others, I pray you will take the opportunity to grow closer to God by reading His word on a daily basis. And if you are interested in learning about the other ways God speaks to us, we invite you to visit the church website and review the study prepared by Mark Batterson called “Whisper – How to Hear the Voice of God”. This study and thousands like it are made available to each of us through our subscription to RightNow Media.
Peace and Blessings,
John Petrillo
Faith Lutheran Church Council
04/07/2022