Lead A Quiet Life

Paul instructs the church of Thessalonians, "Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business and work with your hands, just as we told you," (I Thessalonians 4:11, NIV). You would think to lead a quiet life is to be surrounded by quietness. Perhaps, a idyllic country setting far from the noise of the city or some island retreat without the anxiety of pressing work deadlines?

As I'm writing this, I'm sitting in a New York hotel that has seen better days. Someone above me is constantly on the move. The ceiling creaks and groans with their heavy step. Outside I heard a noise and peer out the window to see a driver run over a white bucket sitting in the middle of the parking lot. Apparently, they were repairing pot holes and left buckets and other objects as a means to keep cars away until the tar could dry. Last night, I press the fan button on high to block out sound of voices,TV and whatever other sounds seeping through the thin walls that separated the rooms. To say the least, I was disturbed and didn't rest very well.

To lead a quiet a life doesn't mean the absence of noise or distraction, rather it means to be lead by the Prince of Peace besides the quiet waters - even if people or circumstances around you are noisy. There is an inner peace that Christ can only provide that can cause you to be lead and be an example of a quieted life for others who need to be at rest. Those outside of Christ, will never know true, lasting peace. Every waking moment is a constant, frantic pace of activities to dull the conscience mind of an aching need to be at rest. Disturbed, hurried and anxious driven people can rob your peace if you let them!

Last evening, in the dark, I got down on my knees beside the bed. I raised my hands to heaven and surrendered myself afresh to the Lord. Then I silenced the demonic voices by binding every foul spirit that was using noise to wreck havoc in my mind - you made a terrible mistake coming here! You were better living on the West Coast...at least it was quiet! Then the peace of God flowed over my heart and a reassuring sense of His presence was restored. I'm loved by God and I'm in my Father's care.

With that, I closed my eyes while the ghost above me kept pacing back and forth with a heavy foot, the ceiling creaking and bowing from someone who just needed to go to bed!