White Noise

Last night I tossed & turned.  I put it down to the bombardment of news; daily changes & upheaval in our way of life; social media updates; differing opinions on how to contain an outbreak this world has never seen before...

I have been keeping my peace, but I don't think it's healthy to be faced with such an onslaught of information at such a constant rate - with fresh news of heartbreak guaranteed each time you click 'power on' or refresh. 

A few years ago I did a communion message on 'white noise'.   This is a combination of a heap of sounds & frequencies combined together.  It often just becomes a whirr of noise & it's hard to differentiate between all the sounds.   If your neighbours are throwing a party & you want to drown it out you'll turn on some music of your own, or another time you might put on some peaceful rainforest music to help put yourself to sleep.  That's the kind of white noise I like! :)

Think about frequencies on the radio.  You don't hear them all at once, and you need to purposefully turn down the 'white noise' of all the others to get to the right frequency.  You have to listen carefully or you'll miss it.   

We need to turn the dial to another frequency to catch the still, small voice of truth.  

To stay spiritually healthy in this time of more change than we've seen (& we thought we'd have a breather after the drought, fires & floods!), we need to master cutting out the white noise & listen to the small voice that is still speaking but has been drowned out by the media storm.

I have a few practical ideas that I am putting in place I thought to share with you:

  1) Draw from the Well.  The title of this Blog is "Deep Wells". The key verse for this is found in Proverbs 20:5:

 "knowing what is right is like deep water in the heart; a wise person draws from the well within"

To go to the source - the well - means you need to leave all you are doing & intentionally lower your bucket & draw it out.  You cannot water your soul with the news; with uncertainty; with social media scrolling, with negative thoughts & conversations ... 

    * You water your soul with the Word.  
    * You restore your soul with Prayer
    * You revitalise your soul with Worship.  

You drown out the white noise with Wisdom from above. 

YouVersion is my 'go to' for devotions & it's so easy to join up, choose a plan & even invite friends to read along with you.  Or pull out your Bible & start highlighting your favourite verses again.  Maybe pick a new coloured pencil for this season & 'draw out' all the verses that God is highlighting to you.    I have a daily email that has been arriving in my inbox for the last three years. (Charles Swindoll :) Each morning I wake up to a new word from God that releases faith & hope for my day.

  2)  Start a Gratitude journal.  While you're at home set aside time each day to write down the promises God is giving you daily, your prayer requests & your praise reports.  Writing out your favourite verses can be strategic to remove the "white noise" swirling around your head.  You are focusing on what God is saying - not the fears, anxieties & unknown thrown at us each day. 
Why not thank God for three things each night that you are thankful for - it's amazing how the beautiful moments from God are right there in front of you to record & find daily gratitude. 

  3) Fix your mind on what is good. Our thought life can bring us unstuck can't it?  That's why all through scripture we are told to be diligent about our thoughts & harnessing them in.  One of my favourite verses is worth writing out & sticking on your fridge:

 "Summing it all up, friends, I’d say you’ll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious—the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse. Put into practice what you learned from me, what you heard and saw and realised. Do that, and God, who makes everything work together, will work you into his most excellent harmonies" Philippians 4:8-9 MSG


  4) Love the ones you're with. Focus on what you have right now in front of you & enjoy this season of being stuck together!  Send messages to loved ones & proactively reach out in love to those you can.  Zoom or Facetime are also easy to use & a great way to connect with others.  

  5) Lastly, turn off the TV for a while.  Put down your phone (especially an hour before bed) & refocus your mind.  

Turn off the white noise.  

He is our present Hope.  He is our Lifeline.   He is our Well.

This season that is new to us all is also an opportunity to refresh ourselves with time our Saviour. Have ears to hear & He will speak to you - words of Hope & Peace that will sustain you through unchartered seas. 


                                     

"God is our refuge & strength (mighty & impenetrable), a very present & well-proved help in trouble"     Psalm 46:1 Amp