Do you know how to be quiet?
I don’t mean the “Shh, I’m on the phone” kind of quiet. I mean the “Shh, God is near” kind of quiet. The quiet that requires I deliberately move away from the noise of the world in order to better hear the voice of God. The stillness that demands I release the worry and frustration of the day in order to rest in the presence of God. The silence that compels me to stop talking and soak in the myriad of ways that God wants me to be aware that He is near.
Stillness and quiet are disciplines that call us to deep surrender. We live in a noisy world. Our lives are filled with family, jobs, neighbors, friends, media, electronics, and demands that constantly vie for our attention. And those aren’t even the noisiest parts of my day! Even in the pockets of quiet I find in my day, my heart isn’t still. There is a running list of things to do, people to take care of, events to be attended, and worries about all of the above.
In order to become like Jesus, I need to surrender to the stillness that is necessary for me to hear His voice and listen to His heart. I need to learn to quiet my heart because everything changes when I move into His stillness. The quiet of His presence gives me a new perspective about the activities that fill my day. When I am still, I can find His fingerprints all around me. I can hear His voice even in the chaos that often seems to fill my days. I develop a special sensitivity to His presence that sticks with me.
My Jesus Resolution today calls me to be quiet. For just a few minutes, I will turn it all off and set it all down. “The Lord is in His holy temple; let all the earth be silent before Him.” Shhh…. God is near.
Casandra Martin 
On the day you wrote this devotional; I decided to no longer talk on my cell phone while driving. I have a hands-free system but I watched a program over the weekend that gave the number of deaths that happened two years ago before texting and tweeting became so popular. They also showed the pictures of the more than 5,000 killed from careless cell phone users who were talking and driving. The pictures that I saw made me think of our two precious grandchildren. I decided to turn off the cell phone and return any calls once I had reached my destination. To my surprise; I was the one making all the calls. Now I have those quite moments to be with Him and to maybe save a life!