Wednesday, December 14, 2022
“Unexpected Quiet”
Do you have a favorite memory and/or feeling of JOY regarding the Holiday Season? For some, it may be the big party on New Year’s Eve. For others, it might be the turkey dinner on Thanksgiving Day. For me, it’s the quiet hush that always follows after the final worship service of Christmas Eve (or this year, Christmas Day). There’s just something about the silence that is so powerful to me. The PEACE and quiet bring me great JOY.
For a hard rock fan who listens with his earphones at maximum level, the exhilarating silence probably doesn’t make much sense. After all, I’ve spent a Holiday Season with my ears maxed with noise! It seems more likely that I would gravitate back toward the noise. However, I’ve experienced so many of those Christmas Eve feelings that I’ve had plenty of time to process the “Why” of the silence which has become so important to me. It’s not because I’m older, or at least, I don’t think so. It’s not because I’m more mature (in fact, I’m probably less than before). Instead, after the final carol is sung on Christmas, I finally realize that there’s nothing more to worry about. All the details that have consumed me during the last six weeks are complete, or incomplete. Regardless, it’s done and there’s absolutely nothing more I can do about it. It is finished.
God’s work at Christmas is not quiet. It’s announced by angels and heavenly choirs. Shepherds run through the streets screaming about it. The clamor finally reaches the King, and by that time, it’s such a loud noise that the king tries to use the Magi as spies to discover baby Jesus’ location. The King tries to rid himself of the shouts of Joy that are ringing in his head.
Sometimes, God’s work is loud. Other times, God’s work is silent. But one thing is for sure: God is at work during the Holidays, and if you haven’t yet witnessed the LORD’s work this Holiday Season, I’ll offer a suggestion: Look somewhere new.
Be different. Change tunes. Turn the radio dial. There’s lots of Holiday JOY out there, and we can discover it if we look in the right places. God is speaking!
“Be still, and know that I am God! I will be honored by every nation. I will be honored throughout the world.” (Psalm 46:10, NLT).