A Prayer to Hear God’s Voice over the World’s Noise
By Keri Eichberger
“Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” (Romans 12:12)
My brain felt fried. We had just wrapped an action-packed weekend with our two older daughters at their biggest tournament of the year. For two full days my husband and I posted up, twin five-year-olds in tow, caged in a giant windowless facility downtown, filled with 30+ volleyball courts, 3000 cheering fans, a symphony of whistles blaring every half second, minute interval flying-at-the-face missiles of over-served and shanked balls, interrupted in between by echoes of “Mommy look” requests. Now, don’t get me wrong, I absolutely adore watching my girls do what they love. But, “sensory overload” seemed like an understatement to describe the inner status of my mind at the conclusion of that sleep deprived “spring forward” Sunday evening.
My head and heart felt so haywire I could hardly fathom processing more. Until an FYI text came in from my teenage son. There would be a pop-up baseball game the following day, which would now be his much anticipated season opener. And I froze solid. To spare you the meticulous details, I’ll sum it up to say, with other plans already on the calendar there seemed no way to make it all happen. But I desperately wanted to be there for him. Could I? Should I?
Choices needed to be decided upon. Plans needed to be made. And I blanked. Too much clutter in my mind to see clearly. Too much noise in my heart and head to hear soundly. Paralyzation of the brain. Can you sense clutter and chaos in your world? I probably didn’t need to give you every particular of my weekend to reiterate the “crazy” we can all find ourselves surrounded by at times.
Yes, the world is always full of noise. How can we possibly make wise choices at the rate requests fly fast our way, when we can’t even hear ourselves think as distractions and overcrowded calendars consume us. It really is hard.
The simple answer seems to be to declutter our calendars. Stop overcommitting, let some stuff go, and take a bit of a break from life. Learn to say “no” to a thing or two. But it’s not always that simple for some of us. A lot of what we do we love, and are actually super thankful for. Like the activities our kids are involved in and even the privilege to have children to add to our full lives. Much of what busies us is an appreciated gift from God. So just because our minds are spinning out of control, doesn’t always mean to quit the thing. But, God definitely has an opinion on everything we choose to do and how we decide to fill our time.
So then, how do we hear his voice, and get his take on the situation, over the world’s noise? I don’t know about you, but I do want what he wants. Because I know only he knows what’s best for me and all my people. And he knows what’s best for you and yours too.
Friends, he certainly can see clearly when we can’t. And I’m learning the one best choice we can make in the loud, hard to hear and see straight moments is this: Turn to God to renew your mind. We need to take a moment to tune out the world and ask God to wipe the slate of our mind clean. Ask him to replace our thoughts with his thoughts. Ask him to refresh the clarity in our head. Ask him to restore peace in our heart. We can, and he will.
Circumstances may continue to overwhelm us, but it’s then that we need to resist the wild noisy patterns of the world, and instead embrace and listen for the internal, always present, sound, steady, still voice of God.
If you have a big or small choice to make today, or just feel swamped with a tangled up soul and need a word of clarity or encouragement—together, let's turn down the volume of the world and tune into God. Listen to his voice and his Word. He is always faithful to lend his wisdom and guidance, and he will graciously help us move forward in a renewed confidence and refreshing peace.
Let’s pray:
Gracious God, You have given me an abundance of awesome experiences, a plethora of praise worthy moments, and boundless beautiful blessings. I am grateful beyond words for all of your gifts. But sometimes my overflowing world spins me into a frenzy. Sometimes my head becomes overstuffed with frazzle and my heart flooded with a swarm of disorder and disarray, making it difficult to hear your voice over the world's constant noise. Forgive me for allowing the world to distract me from you and your guiding light. I desperately want to hear your voice above all voices. I want what you want for my life. Lord, please clear my head of the clutter and open my heart to hear you better. Help me replace my thoughts with your thoughts. Help me see clearly. Help me see you clearly. You offer perfect wisdom, abundantly, and perfect peace so freely. Help me to turn to you and soak in your gracious gifts. Thank you for your voice, and thank you for your Word always available to lead me, guide me, and refresh my soul. In Your Son’s Abundant Name, Amen.
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Originally published Wednesday, 15 May 2024.
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