Be still and know that I am God.  Psalm 46:10 (NIV)

Shepherds guarded their slumbering sheep; stable animals peacefully slept, unaware of the earth-shaking event happening in their midst.

A special baby was born in the stillness of night. No pomp or grandeur surrounded this new-born King, just quiet and humble surroundings. His parents had no place to lay him, but a dusty feeding trough lined with dry, brittle hay. In the night’s quiet, the Christ child peacefully slept as His proud parents tried to grasp the miracle of this moment.

There is something about the muffled sounds of night that bring an almost eerie peacefulness as distractions of the day slowly fade away.

In the serenity of evening, I often sit on my back porch and listen. It’s as if my body’s “mute button” is on. Basking in the tranquility of silence, unburdened from the clatter of the day, brings calmness to my soul. Escaping the noise of daily life, I am able to hear Him more clearly.

The same voice that shattered the silence that night with his welcome cry of arrival still speaks to us today. We need only to be still and listen.

God, hush our mouths and take away the noise of this world so that we can hear you speak Truth into our broken lives.