Quiet



We stood there on a bridge in the quiet of the forest. There were no human sounds, no shouting or arguing, no honking horns or sirens or sub-woofers, no TV - just quiet.

I thought, "God, why is it You feel so close to me in this quiet place?" So often in quiet places and sometimes at night Psalm 23 comes to my mind, The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not be in want. He makes me lie down in green pastures, He leads me beside quiet waters, He restores my soul... I began to sing the praise song, "In the secret, in the quiet place, You are there."

We were hiking the East Glacier Trail in Juneau. Leaving the Visitor Center area we had heard people calling to each other and some shouting at their dogs, the sound of buses bringing more tourists, and helicopters flying overhead showing people the sights from the air.

We had gone into the forest and up the mountain a ways when we stopped on a bridge.


It was while we stood there that I became aware of the quietness. At first I thought it was just the absence of sound, then I realized birds were singing, leaves were rustling and the brook was bubbling. But it felt so quiet and still. What was missing was the hectic pace and hubbub of human life.

Jesus went often to a solitary place to pray. If He felt the need to get away, how much more we, in our humanness and weakness, should try to get away. We need times of healing and times of refreshing. Psalm 46:10 invites us to Be still and know that I am God...

In Mark chapter six we're told that there were so many people coming and going that Jesus and the disciples didn't even have a chance to eat. Jesus said, Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.

Sometimes we don't even realize we need a rest until we experience a quietness in some place. In that quietness our spirits are refreshed. Then renewed, we face another day with the hubbub of human life.

The Lord will take great delight in you. He will quiet you with His love. He will rejoice over you with singing. Zephaniah 3:17b The forest was quiet. The birds were singing. It felt like a touch of God's hand.