Midweek: Making Time for Quiet

The following devotional by Erin Keeley Marshall, was printed in Guideposts' Mornings with Jesus (May/ June 2023) on Wednesday, June 7:

If you listen carefully to what he says and do all that I say, I will be an enemy to your enemies and will oppose those who oppose you. ~ Exodus 23:22

We're in the middle of an Indian cicada summer. The flying beasts are everywhere and they're loud. While I acknowledge the miracle of their seventeen-year hatch cycle, I wish they'd have self-awareness and stop offering so much unsolicited input. 

The world can be a noisy place, and I'm not just speaking about bugs. I'm bombarded with sensory overload, as opinions, beliefs, and ideas zoom my way and dive-bomb me out of nowhere, just like those noisy, annoying cicadas.

Processing information in the media, social media, or even in conversations with friends or family members can become especially difficult if I sense motives behind someone's words. This noise can spin my thoughts and cause confusion to the point that I might feel off-balance.

The enemy of my soul is noisy too. When he can't derail me with obvious lies and overt tactics, he works overtime in covert, subversive ways and I might not recognize him immediately. In the cacophony of chaos, I sometimes get caught off guard.

It's easy to forget that I was created to thrive in peace and truth. One of my favorite steadying habits is intentionally making time to listen to the quiet. I slip away from the television, my telephone, and my family to find a secluded spot to be still with Jesus. Only when I spend quiet time with Him do I find nothing bugs me, not even those annoying cicadas.

~ Erin Keeley Marshall