The Quietness of Obscurity

Obscurity silences the clutter and elevates the voice of God in our lives. This chapter is as hard for me to write as it may be for some of you to read. I am often not comfortable with silence. I like noise. My wife and others who have driven in the car with me, which I hear is a faith-building experience for them, often laugh at me for my need to fill the silent gaps with conversation. In my head, if there's no talking, something must be wrong!

“The Quietness of Obscurity trains us to hear the voice of God.”

I’ve found silence to be powerful. Silence is the friend of the greats. Stopping the noise around us helps us to begin to dial in our ears to hear the voice of God. I notice that during the day, when my kids are running around and there are different noises inside and outside of the house, I have to have the TV volume much higher to be able to hear it. But, after the kids are in bed and it gets later in the evening, it seems like everything just gets quieter. Now, I can have the volume of the TV at a level 4 when earlier I needed it at about the 15-20 range depending on what was going on.

When it comes to hearing God’s voice, he may choose to scream over the noise that we’re creating, but I see that often he’s looking for us to quiet ourselves down to hear his voice. Does that mean that you have to move away to a monastery to tune in and hear the voice of God? No, but it does mean that you need to be able to create moments of silence and peace to be sure you’re dialed into the voice of God.

As I write this, I’m reminded of how growing up, my mom would always say she wanted my "undivided attention" Interesting how I’ve heard that from my wife a time or two?! (Might need to work on that!) Honestly, when I’m speaking, I want that from other people too. I think God is similar in nature in that He is asking for our undivided heart and attention.

DOES GOD HAVE YOUR ATTENTION?

Part of this season of obscurity is to grab your attention. Have you ever been trying to get the attention of a crowd or classroom, but the chatter is too loud, and they seemed to be drowning out your voice? One of the fastest ways to get attention is to create a pause and get quiet. It recaptures their attention. God is looking for our full and undivided attention, but often our minds, hearts, and lives have been captured by other things. Take a look at these verses.

“…those who use the things of the world, as if not engrossed in them. For this world in its present form is passing away. I would like you to be free from concern. An unmarried man is concerned about the Lord's affairs—how he can please the Lord.”
1 Corinthians 7:31,32 NIV