The highway stretched out in front of me, a never-ending line of grey dotted on either side by newly harvested fields. Drowning my thoughts in its sea of endless melodies and occasional commercials, the radio offered up a soundtrack for my journey. But I felt restless, not because the trip was wearing me out but because my soul needed silence.
Finally, I switched off the radio. The peace that washed over me was as immediate as the silence. I could finally be alone with my thoughts and talk to God.
Have you ever felt this way? Like there's too much noise in your life? Sometimes we choose noise purposely; it's just easier to dwell in the chaos than to be alone with our innermost thoughts. So we fill up every available moment with sounds – radio, TV, iPod playlists, text or telephone conversations, podcasts and more.
We have an audio smorgasbord available to us 24/7, yet our souls are starving.
If you struggle with a distracted prayer life like I do, too much noise may be one of your problems. During this 31 Days to a Powerful Prayer Life series, I have offered a few tips on how to be more focused when you pray. If you missed these posts, here are links for Tip1 and Tip 2. Now on to the next tip...
#3 Eliminate excess noise.
I'll admit this is a difficult one for me. I'm a noise junkie. I like having background noise, especially when I'm alone. I've been known to have a TV on in one room and a radio on in another, just for the noise.
But you know what? I've found that switching OFF the noise is one of the best things for my prayer life. If I'm intentional about switching off the TV while I'm getting ready in the morning, I can focus so much better on the day ahead and on asking for God's help.
This week, try eliminating just 15-30 minutes of noise from your life in order to focus on prayer. If you're alone in the car, you'll be amazed at how easy it is to pray when the radio is off! Or, at home, when you would normally turn on the TV for a quick news update, fill that space with prayer instead. You won't even miss the noise, and you won't regret the time you spend with Jesus, the lover (and quieter) of your soul.
"Be still and know that I am God." Psalm 46:10
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You are so right, Julie! With the hustle and bustle of everyday life I NEED my quiet time to decompress and pray! I find the best time for me to do that is while I am driving along in the car - it's rare that my radio is on - I need the time to rejuvenate! Since this isn't always the general consensus of all my passengers in the car - it is the one time that I am thankful to whomever brought ear buds and i-phones into our lives! LOL! We are all filled with what we need at that moment! :0)
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by, Cyndi! So true about the ear buds and iPhones! There's a time and place for everything! Blessings to you, friend!
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