Quiet the Soul
Daily Old Testament Reading: Psalm 131; 1 Chronicles 24-25
Daily Focus Passage: Psalm 131
David penned Psalm 131 to quiet his soul and live in the Lord's presence. David experienced various noises that threatened to draw his attention away from the Lord and caused him to become disobedient. He sought to quiet the soul to hear from the Lord so that the Lord could search him, call him, and lead him. We need to understand the noises in life that keep us from hearing from the Lord and seek to quiet our soul so that the Lord can search, call, and lead us.
WE MUST RECOGNIZE THE NOISES
Three prominent noises attempt to keep us from hearing the Lord with clarity. First, we hear the noise of culture. The noise of culture attempts to redefine the truth declared by the Lord and often abuses and misuses the Word of the Lord to gain traction and support with believers. The noise bombards us from various directions to condition us to accept this world's worldview. These noises serve as a distraction that keeps us from engaging with the Lord authentically. Thus, what cultural noises do you need to silence?
Second, we hear various spiritual noises. Spiritual noises come from individuals and leaders who are perceived as spiritual. Often when these individuals speak, people take their word as absolute truth instead of discerning the words of these individuals against the Word of God. Spiritual noises can lead us wayward and away from the leading and voice of the Lord. Spiritual noises grow as denominations move away from the Word of God and adopt the mentality of the world. This movement guides people away from the Lord with the spiritual noise they make. What spiritual noises do you need to silence?
Third, we hear various personal noises. The noises that come from the self-gain impact because they flow from the desires of the flesh. These noises attempt to rationalize sin in our lives and promote the act of self-justifying. The noise from the self often waters down the truth of God's Word and attempts to live in a distortion of applying God's Word in life. What personal noises need to be silenced in your life?
WE MUST REPENT AND REFOCUS
David declared that he "calmed and quieted my soul." This declaration reveals the importance of silencing the noises around us so that we can enter the presence of the Lord with the intent to hear from him and be transformed by him. The ability to quiet the soul begins with repentance. We must repent of the influence of the noises of the world. We must repent of the waywardness in our lives because of falling prey to the influence of the surrounding noises. What noises are impacting and influencing you? Will you repent of this influence and turn to the Lord?
As we repent, we must refocus our life on the Lord. The ability to refocus occurs in turning from the noises to the Lord in the moment of repentance. Part of this turn must include refocusing our life on the Lord. Refocusing means that our life becomes dedicated to living for the Lord and reflecting him in the world. Our motto becomes "He died for me; I'll live for him." Will you take a moment today and ask the Lord to help you refocus your life on him?
We must refocus our minds on the Lord. We must analyze our thoughts and seek to live with pure and holy thoughts. In Romans 12, the apostle Paul spoke about the importance of renewing the mind. The mind is a critical component in repentance. We must take the initiative to transform the way we think so that we seek to form a thought process and worldview formed by the ways, will, and Word of God. Will you ask the Lord to aid you in developing a refocused mind?
We must refocus our hearts on the Lord. Our hearts reveal what we pursue and love; what the heart chases after shows where we seek to find our identity and purpose. When the world's noises influence our hearts, we need to repent and refocus our hearts on the pursuit of the Lord and his ways. We must seek the Lord to transform our hearts to demonstrate and live out his genuine love. Will you ask the Lord to help you refocus your heart away from the noise of this world?
