Quietness
“The words of the wise heard in quietness are better than the shouting of a ruler among fools.” Ecclesiastes 9:17
Quietness – When life just gets to be too much raucous confusion, do you just want to get away to a quite place? Imagine sitting by a gentle mountain stream, or at the seashore on a still day? Imagine resting comfortably in a beautiful garden or gazing up at the stars on a perfectly silent night? What emotions do you feel when the noise and distractions of the world are set aside? This Hebrew word carries a nuance that might touch something in you. It is not just quiet. It is the feeling of security. It reflects that old saying, “God is in heaven and all is right on the earth.”
The Hebrew word nachath comes from a root that includes words for security, absence of motion, finality and saving victory. Solomon is telling us that listening to wise counsel in still settings carries a kind of security with it. There is something assuring in the words of a wise man spoken in peaceful repose. If you have ever had the experience of being in the presence of a man or woman of great wisdom, you know that the penetrating clarity of the message does not depend on volume. It is often delivered in the softest of voices, the slightest of sentences. But the wisdom of these people cuts right through the clatter and chaos of our lives, bringing immediate clarification. These are words that change our lives.
God is the wisest of all wise beings. His wisdom is rarely if ever communicated in shouts, thunder claps or amplified pronouncements. God’s voice is the quiet, secure voice heard clearly only in the stillness of the heart. Did you ever reflect on the deeper reasons why human beings seek solitude and serenity when they need clarity on life’s biggest decisions? Perhaps God has built in to the structure of being human that inner call to quietness, the place where we are most likely to open our ears to His still, small voice.
Do you need to hear wise words today? Where will you go to find your quite place?
