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Stop Speaking And Start Seeking
Jon Burgess“Be silent before the LORD, all humanity, for he is springing into action from his holy dwelling.” Zechariah‬ â€2:13
This Hebrew word for "be silent" is expressed in many ways throughout the Old Testament but all communicate the same command: "Stop speaking and start seeking"! Whether it's "the people were stilled", "keep silence", "hold your peace", or "hold your tongue" it's almost always in the context of God's movement among His people. He doesn't want them to miss what He is about to do. Could I be missing what God is saying and doing because I won't stop talking long enough to notice? My God is a God of action. All throughout scripture He is moving in and through and on behalf of His people. So, the logical conclusion is that if I'm not seeing God moving its not because He stopped moving, it's because I'm not paying attention!
Ralph Waldo Emerson once said that one of the hardest things in life is to "be present in the present." The amount of noise and input I receive on a daily basis makes this scriptural command to "be silent" one of the most challenging to obey. According to Michael Rosemblum the average American spends five hours a day, every day, watching TV. After sleep, it is the number one activity we all participate in. With just this one statistic regarding entertainment no wonder I'm not noticing God moving sometimes. Could it be that I'm not seeing God in action because I'm in a constant state of inaction as I devour the fictional actions of others? Now, I don't watch TV anywhere near the national daily average, but I am in a constant state of input from multiple mediums other then the Bible. When I drive I listen to music or podcasts. When I've got a down moment I'm checking out news feeds on social media. When I've got a day off I like to watch a good movie. When I'm at work I'm usually speaking throughout multiple meetings and to various people and situations. None of these things are evil in and of themselves unless they are impeding my obedience to Gods command: "stop speaking and start seeking".
Lord, I pray that You would forgive me for seeking You less instead of seeking You first. My greatest joy moments in life are when I take the time to take in all that You are doing around me in big and small ways. You are a God of action and I want to move with You. Let me not ignore the tug of Your Spirit when You are inviting me to spend more time with You and less time with YouTube. Let me spend more time seeking and less time speaking so that when I do speak it will sound more like You and less like me.
