Quieting to Hear God's Voice
My father-in-law grew up on a ranch north of Austin, Texas. As a boy he was given free reign to walk the fields and hillsides of his family's property, hunting for birds and any other adventure a boy could come up with.
One day he set out into the range, watching the trees and skies for birds. As he walked he neglected to keep his bearings. Hours into his adventure, he looked around, realizing that he didn't recognize his surroundings. He called out for his father, his mother, his brothers, but there was no answer. He called louder, and his cries of fear grew louder still. But he was good and lost.
He sat down on a rock and the tears flowed for a while until he finally quieted himself down. And in the distance he heard something familiar; it was the windmill for the watering trough. It was faint, but he was able to tell the general direction. Following the faint sound, he found his way to the windmill, and from the windmill, his way home.
Have you ever found yourself lost in life, without your bearings? Perhaps you've wondered so far from the path of wisdom that you don't even realize just how lost you are. But once you do, fear and panic overtake you. In the chaos, the noise of your circumstances can overwhelm you and drown out the one sound you actually need to hear ... that "still small voice" of God.
Then the LORD said, “Go out and stand on the mountain before the LORD. Behold, the LORD is about to pass by.” And a great and mighty wind tore into the mountains and shattered the rocks before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake there was a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire came a still, small voice. When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his cloak and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave" (I Kings 19:11-13, BSB).
We have to learn to quiet ourselves enough to hear the voice of God leading us back to Himself.
"But I have calmed and quieted my soul, like a weaned child with its mother; like a weaned child is my soul within me" (Psalm 131:2, ESV).
“Be still, and know that I am God" (Psalm 46:10, ESV).
A Powerful Rest
"One of the most universally recognized pieces of music of all times is Beethoven's 5th Symphony. You know the one: dun dun dun dunnnnn...dun dun dun dunnnnnn. You know the song, but what you may not know is that the song starts with an 8th note of rest. A song that begins with a rest! As strange as that is, it creates a uniquely powerful melody.
The strategic 8th note rest continues through the entire song."
A rest is a highly unusual way to begin a piece of music. But realize that the Christian life also begins with a rest. Before God can make a beautiful symphony of our lives, we must first find complete rest in His Son.
"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest" (Matthew 11:28).
Illustration Exchange
The Beautiful Apology
Casey Baseel, for Sora News 24, reports:
Japanese trains are awesome for a number of reasons, not the least of which is how amazingly punctual they are. But on Tuesday, a train on the Tokyo-area Metropolitan Intercity Railway Company’s Tsukuba Express line failed to stick to its timetable.
The line connects Akihabara in Tokyo with Tsukuba in Ibaraki Prefecture, and on weekday mornings there’s supposed to be a northbound train that leaves Minami Nagareyama Station at 9:44 a.m. However, the train instead left at 9:43:40, 20 seconds earlier than it’s supposed to.
Before the day was done, the Tsukuba Express management issued an official apology, posted to the company’s website.
The statement reads:
"On November 14, at approximately 9:44 a.m., a northbound Metropolitan Intercity Railway Company (main office in Tokyo, Chiyoda Ward, President & CEO Koichi Yugi) train left Minami Nagareyama Station roughly 20 seconds earlier than the time indicated on the timetable. We deeply apologize for the severe inconvenience imposed upon our customers."
... [T]he fact that Japanese companies care so much about customer satisfaction, consistently try to look at things from the end-user’s point of view, and are willing to offer a sincere apology even for understandable inconveniences is, really, one of the most beautiful parts of Japanese society,
How far afield do you have to stray before you stop to say, “I’m sorry?” In the West, we are quick to make excuses and slow to consider the other person's point of view. Indeed, a sincere apology for an understandable inconvenience is a beautiful thing. It shows that we are looking at things first and foremost with an attitude of service.
Be slow to blame but quick to say, “My bad.”
“My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry” (James 1:19).