January 20: Still the Thousand Chattering Voices
Our challenge is to separate signal from noise. Mike Foss
Gregg’s Reflection
Being and waiting are two things our culture doesn’t value. We grow impatient at a slow drive-thru, and some mortuaries even offer “drive-up” windows to pay respects. Silence is uncomfortable for many because it leaves us alone with our thoughts, and for some, those thoughts are a noisy loop of worry and self-criticism.
When I enter prayer and quiet myself, I realize how much noise—internal and external—clamors for my attention. The thousand chattering voices don’t go away on their own. I must make space to sit still and listen, to wrestle my attention away from the noise and toward God. The truth is, God’s voice is most often a whisper, and it takes stillness to hear it.
Learning to listen rather than talk in prayer has been transformational. God already knows my needs. What I need is to quiet my soul long enough to notice His presence and discern His leading.
Scripture
For in him we live and move and have our being.
Acts 17:28
I wait for the Lord, my whole being waits, and in his word I put my hope.
Psalm 130:5
Ancient Quotes
The mind rushes on, a drunk elephant.
Kabir, The Bijak of Kabir
All human evil comes from a single cause, man’s inability to sit still in a room.
Blaise Pascal
Modern Quotes
We must give God our rapt and undivided attention before we can catch a glimpse of his Kingdom through the veil of earthly time. But if we can learn to sit still…and wrest our attention from the thousand chattering voices without and within, we will find ourselves gradually living more of our lives in that Kingdom.
RENOVARÉ Bible notes on Revelation NT, p. 485
Our challenge is to separate signal from noise.
Pastor Mike Foss, from our conversation.
Journaling Prompts
- What are the loudest “voices” in your mind right now?
- How do you distinguish between God’s voice and the noise?
- What might help you quiet the chatter and listen more deeply?
- What will you do to create space and stillness so you can discern what God is saying and where God is leading?
👉 Go deeper into this week’s theme:
Read the full Week 3 reflection: Being vs Doing