Several years ago, I thumbed through a book on stimulation overload. I vaguely remember a section being dedicated to our senses being hyperstimulated by the noise we face today. For whatever reason at the time, I did not purchase the book, but I now wish that I had! It’s been on my mind recently how noisy it is in our world, and I am so curious about its impact on us, especially how it affects our hearts and souls.
Although we may become accustomed to the noise of the world, that doesn’t mean it is good for us. The most frustrating impact it has on me is that it crowds out the voice of God. For this season in history, God’s voice is still and small and impressed upon the hearts of His people through His Spirit. When the interior world of my heart is especially noisy, God’s voice gets rather muffled. If I am to hear God’s voice, I must pull back and retreat from all other sound sources.
In contrast to God’s quiet gentle voice to the soul is the audible roar of the Great Lion, Aslan (from the C. S. Lewis tales), the character that represents God. The most recent film, Prince Caspian, follows the Pevensie siblings as they battle for life in the faraway land of Narnia. All along they wonder if Aslan will show himself to be true and faithful in their fight against enemy forces. (He does.) When the enemy troops run for escape across a river bridge, Aslan appears at the other end, blocking their path. All grows quiet. With arrogance, the enemy troops decide to press forward. It is then that Aslan releases a bone-jarring roar that fills hearts and ears. The power of his voice sends shock waves across the river’s surface; the mighty sound of it washes over all who are before him.
What we see in Prince Caspian is a dim reflection of what will one day come to be. One day, when Jesus returns, He will give a shout of authority and pronouncement even greater than Aslan’s roar. The power and weight of His voice will also send waves across the landscape and drown out all other voices.
I long for that day, but I am too eager to wait until then to hear Him. My aim is to tone down and take out all that tries to cover over the voice of God so that I might commune with Him today. This quote from the spring issue of Spirit of Revival from Life Action Ministries sums it up well:
“The voices and noises of the world around you will overpower God’s voice if you do not retreat regularly to listen.”
The final analysis? Just say no to noise.
