The title of this devotional might be confusing or perhaps even misunderstood.  Let me explain.  As I was reading the 46^th Psalm (vs. 10) God inspired David to write “Be still and know that I am God.” 

 How does that happen?  The noise of life surrounds us.  We are deluged with noise.  From the hum of the TV set; radio, MP3 players, to the everyday noise of cars roaring along our street; dogs bark; the garbage guy picking up trash.  There is a constant hum which surrounds us……from the first glimpse of the morning sun to our last “goodnight” before bed.

People now take their daily walk with ear buds, listening to music they have downloaded from the internet.  After all, one must keep pace to the sounds of the music.!!

There are TV’s in bedrooms, and I Pods that lull us to sleep.  Good Christian music to be sure.   Not all bad but when do have time to listen to God?

Unfortunately, we are never alone with silence.  We never seek the beauty that comes only when it’s just us and God.   “Be still and know that I am God.”

In the 70’s there was a song by Simon and Garfunkel called “The Sounds of Silence”.  Does silence really have a sound and it is still silence?

I am not going to try to understand all of that but here’s what I do know.

God is in fact, the creator of sound.  The very act of creation itself must have come with sounds.  Imagine the sound of mighty crashing waves of the oceans; the braying beasts of the field and the birds singing in chorus at the beauty of a perfect and sinless world. Every creature was praising God in His newly created universe.

Job7  ¹ “At this my heart pounds  and leaps from its place.
² Listen! Listen to the roar of his voice,
to the rumbling that comes from his mouth.
³ He unleashes his lightning beneath the whole heaven
and sends it to the ends of the earth.
⁴ After that comes the sound of his roar;
he thunders with his majestic voice.
When his voice resounds,
he holds nothing back.
⁵ God’s voice thunders in marvelous ways;
he does great things beyond our understanding.

This doesn’t seem as though God is silent.  No, the He came with thundering and roaring into His perfect creation. But then imperfection entered that world.  We call it sin, disobedience, rebellion etc.  Now the beauty of those sounds would forever be corrupted.

 That is until “Perfection” was born. It was then the “morning stars sang together,” (Job 38:7) and angels, singing, announcing His birth.

In Revelation we read where we will be singing praises to the Lord and rejoicing in Him.

⁶ Then I heard something like the voice of a great multitude and like the sound of many waters and like the sound of mighty peals of thunder, saying, “Hallelujah! For the Lord our God, the Almighty, reigns”.

There is a time for singing, rejoicing, and praising. “Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all ye lands. Serve the Lord with gladness. Come into His presence with singing.” (Ps. 100:1-2)  Yes, there is a time for making this joyful “noise”.

 However……..there is a time for silence. “Be still and know that I am God.”

The prophet Elijah expected to hear God’s voice roaring in the wind….but it came to him in a small gentle whisper….(1 Kings 19:12).

We too can hear God’s still small voice speaking to us from the pages of His book.  He sends His Holy Spirit, who speaks to us through reading His words and through prayer.  It’s just us and God.  “Be still and know that I am God.”

So you and I must leave the noise of the world and enjoy the “sounds of silence” that come only when we are communion with our heavenly Father.  Listen to His voice as you read His Holy Word.  Pray those verses back to Him. Then there will be music…….now it is in our heart.   “Be still and know that I am God.”

Those of you that know anything about music have heard the word…….Grace Notes.  I am a musician but have never thought of grace notes in my relationship to God.  What are grace notes anyway?  They are essentially a type of musical ornamentation.  They are a special series of “extra” notes added by the composer or even the performer.  Some grace notes are long and others are short.  They can come at unexpected times in the music but add much interest and variety to the music.   I have always been aware of grace notes but just how do they apply to my walk with God?

God provides his children with grace notes. They are little reminders of His mercy and sovereign care for us. These little reminders pop up in our lives ever so often and provide a reassurance that our Heavenly Father is constantly aware of us and our needs.

I  like to think of the grace notes of God as His multiplied mercies that come to us in the circumstances of our daily lives.  They are small blessings of God.  They can be easily overlooked because of the anxieties that beset us every day.  But these blessings come in small ways……..sometimes unexpectedly.  The loving kindness of a friend; a friendly hand on our shoulder; help we needed that came just at the right time.  Coincidence?  Hardly.

Perhaps Jeremiah was speaking of these grace notes when he wrote: “This I recall to my mind, therefore I have hope.  The Lord’s mercies are not consumed, because His compassions fail not.  They are new every morning: great is Your faithfulness!” 

As we approach the Thanksgiving season we might be facing great challenges in our life.  We might be tempted to focus only on our problems and the circumstances that seem to surround us.  Where is God anyway?  I thought He was there to help me in times of need.

Yes, life’s circumstances could leave us far being thankful this Thanksgiving.  That’s why we need to look for God’s “grace notes” in our life.  It takes a certain amount of discipline, attentiveness and prayer on our part, but when God shows us His mercies, it becomes an occasion to remember long after the moment is gone.

It might be good for us to make our own list of “grace notes” that God as arranged for our lives.  Write them down! This list can be private or something to share around the Thanksgiving table. We find blessings abound even in the midst of trials and suffering. We find evidence of God’s favor when we face our own limitations  and frailties.   In fact, it’s when we can no longer manage our life, that God’s “grace notes” become more meaningful.

Yes, we serve a great and good God…………Look for God’s “grace notes”.  They are there ornamenting your daily life.  Give thanks to the Lord……. for his faithfulness never ends and it is new every morning!