"Quiet"

I was riding in big country,

The vistas there were far,

And in every direction,

Beyond the world’s radar.

There off in that country,

Searching for the lost bovine,

The feeling swept right over me,

That I was lost in time.

And echoes of past riders,

Came flying on the wind,

The tribes that now are long gone,

Vaqueros way back when.

I thought I heard a yodel,

A cowboy’s lonesome song,

Rimming ‘round the ridges,

Right where they once belong.

And I felt right at home there,

In that wild, free place,

And thanked the Lord for quiet,

Where the features of His face,

Are cut by wind and water,

Into everything you see,

The beauty of the colors,

And the feeling that you’re free.

What you don’t view in cities,

What you can’t find in town,

What honest souls still long for,

When people aren’t around.

It’s the closest thing to heaven,

You’ll find upon this earth,

Be hard to place a value,

On what it's really worth.

And I can’t often go there,

And when I don’t I miss,

The air and wind and water,

But let me tell you this,

Knowing it’s still out there,

Brings me so much peace,

A memory on horseback,

Big country, sweet release.

I know that I am thankful,

The feeling is profound,

Beyond civilization,

Where there is no more sound.

Except what God has put there,

And, yes, it still remains,

For those privileged to see it,

High above the plains.

“Be still and know that I am God…” (Ps. 46:10, NLT)

Being still and quiet is not easy in our noisy culture. Some of us never have quiet, and are uncomfortable if we do. It’s like we are so used to having music, or someone speaking, or some other constant noise, that it’s absence is unnatural to us. The opposite is true. This much noise is not normal or healthy. It robs us of contemplative thought, distracts us from anything beyond the immediate, and fills our minds with static. It makes our ability to hear the Lord speaking to us almost impossible. Is it any wonder that most believers in God say they’ve never heard Him say anything to them? What else could it be? Isn’t He speaking to us, just as He has to every generation before us? Jesus said His sheep would recognize His voice and He would call them by name. We are not the exception to this promise, but it seems that fewer actually experience it. Be still. Get quiet. Listen. Go where you can find the quiet. You will be glad you did, even if it feels weird at first.

Lord, help us to be still and know that You are God, in Jesus’ name.

Art by Mark Maggiori, markmaggiori.com. Used by permission. Thanks, Mark, and God bless you.