A few years ago I recorded a podcast about the many noises in our lives. I was reminded of that podcast (You can subscribe to my podcast at iTunes; entitled: Pause) this weekend as I floated in the pool at the hotel where I was staying. If you’ve ever spent any amount of time at a busy swimming pool, then you know how noisy it can be. The sounds of water splashing, young kids yelling “marco polo, “a lifeguard’s whistle, someone doing cannon balls off the diving board, and music cranking through the speakers are just a few of the noises you will most likely hear on any given day poolside.
For a moment, imagine you are floating in the deep end, hearing all those noises, and then…you take a deep breath and submerge yourself into the deep below the surface. What do you hear now? Nothing. And, in the silence you feel as though the weight of the world has been lifted don’t you, if only for a moment. It’s tranquil. Peaceful. Quite. If you could, you’d stay down there a long time wouldn’t you?
Life in the real world is a lot like those noisy moments at the pool. You probably have more noises than you realize that consume your day– school, friends, sports, music, parents, sibling rivalries, the Internet, movies, your cell phone, and more. Do you ever have intent in carving out time to escape the noise? You know, time to get away, unplug, refresh, listen to God, pray, and just disconnect from the life-pod? Maybe you welcome the noise. Maybe you enjoy the hustle and flow of a busy life. Maybe without the noise, life for you would seem “less.” Maybe, without the noise, you wouldn’t know what to do. Maybe without the noise, life would be…lonely.
Time and again in the New Testament we read were Jesus committed moments to get away from the noise of life and be with God. Mark 1:35 (NIV) says, “Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.” Luke 5:16 (NIV) tells us that, “Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.” He talked to God. He listened to God. He knew the very heart of God because He took time to make God a priority in His life. God too wants the same from you. He wants to share intimate time with you that will prove far more important than any noisy moment this world can offer you. But, you must first be willing to set aside the noises of your life so that you hear the voice of God as He speaks to you.
Why not take some time this week and get beneath the surface with Him? Commit now to make time and turn off the music, silence your phone, find a quite place and talk to God. Tell Him about your fears, your frustrations and your celebrations. Share your innermost feelings with Him. Talk to Him as if you were staring eyeball to eyeball with your very best friend. The cool thing is that you don’t have to worry about getting a sunburn when you swim into the deep with God. And, you can drown out all the distracting noises and learn to hear as He speaks to you, without ever having to worry about how long you can hold your breathe.
Here are a few questions for you to consider at the beginning of the summer. If you don’t take time now to develop a plan for getting into the deep with God, it probably won’t happen.
1. What is my plan of action to swim into the deep with God this summer?
2. How much time will I commit each week?
3. Where will I go? How long will I be there?
4. What noises will I disconnect from so that I can better hear the voice of God?
Here is a prayer you can consider praying to get you started:
“God, I want to spend more time with you this summer unplugged from the many noises in my life. I know that you want more time with me too. I want to commit now that I will spend time with you each week getting to know you more. Thank you for loving me so much that you desire to spend more time with me. I can’t wait to get to know you more this summer!”
