Our Society in which we live knows little about quiet. It seems to be a lost commodity in our advanced technical age.  Everywhere you go there is noise. There is much sound with decibels that are elevated above healthy ranges for the human ear. It is difficult to find a quiet spot, and if you do, it most probably is soon to be invaded by interruptions of noise. Many people today evade the quiet stillness of solitude, because to be perfectly honest it is uncomfortable. It feels odd. It is unfamiliar and uncharted territory. This is a sad reality. It is funny as I type this note, there are large construction trucks across the road from me that are making these very obnoxious beeping noises as they back up! Oh the value of silence! Several months ago I asked the Lord what He would say regarding His Body and 2007. I felt that still small voice saying to me two words, “Technical Toys”. In our ever increasing vast production of technology we have exchanged quiet meditation for modern conveniences. Modern conveniences that are designed to make our lives easier and more productive, have robbed us of peace and quiet. Modern advances that were invented to give us more time of rest have done just the opposite. Somehow in these so called conveniences we are not gaining but losing. Silence is a balm for physical, emotional and spiritual health. Do you remember the infomercial regarding the nasty little stress hormone called cortisol? I recently read an article on the benefits of silence. In this particular write up, Cortisol was mentioned and defined as the fight or flight hormone that our bodies produce. Chronic noise raises blood cortisol levels and keeps them elevated. This elevation can cause high blood pressure, heart disease, impaired mental performance, and yes like the infomercial advertises increased abdominal fat. Silence can undo much of that damage. Quiet is important in the morning because that is when cortisol levels are the highest. The Lord Jesus knew the importance of solitude. He regularly had a quiet time with the Father before His day started (Matthew 14:23). I personally do not think I would make it very long without my quiet times in the mornings. I go to one spot in our home, and Rocky goes to another. We do not even exchange good mornings until after we have had our private quiet times with the Lord. This is what keeps us going in this ministry. Solutions to problems become apparent during these quiet times. What we listen for is that still quiet voice within. Years ago when I served in YWAM I had a spot I sought out every morning. It was in the basement at our missionary base. There was an old blue chair in the midst of all kinds of paraphernalia. I called this chair “OLD BLUE.” This was my quiet spot to get away from the other seventy I lived with. I will always cherish my memories of that desire that was birthed in me to find some solitude and be alone with God. I believe The Body of Christ today misses out on revelation and visitations from God due to our lack of discipline in the area of technical toys. Every new device on the market is filled with sound and stimulation. Each new technological gadget comes with an accompanying noise. There is a special strength that is born in solitude. I wonder if George Mueller, Charles Finney, R.H. Torey, John G. Lake, Charles Spurgeon, Smith Wigglesworth and a host of others would have had such revelations from God if they had been occupied and busied with computers, cell phones, TV’s, and the like? If you desire to have understanding, then dismiss the crowd as Jesus did. Our crowds today are not just human beings, but anything that keeps us from being quiet and still before a Holy God. We must dismiss the chatter and go into “The Holy of Holies”. It is in this place we know God. You will be set apart to the degree that you sit apart. Do what you must, discipline yourself in these last days to “be still and know that He is God” (Psalm 46:10). He is speaking to those who will have ears to hear what the Spirit is saying.

Debbie Fondren

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