It was the middle of the night and we were awakened by strange beeping noises coming from everywhere. A storm had come through and we had lost all power to the house. The beeping noises were coming from computers, surge protectors and alarm systems. It wasn't the first time we had faced such a rude awakening. But in the last few years the beeping noises had been replaced with the loud roar of a generator waking us about 10 seconds after the power outage. Even though it is loud, this has been great because it provides power to the entire house. However, it had been on the fritz for about two weeks and so this storm had rendered us powerless and surrounded by beeps.

When you live in the middle of nowhere, power outages are pretty common. But we had forgotten what follows after all the beeping noises have ceased to beep. But there it was. Suddenly the loud sound of SILENCE had burst forth. Of course, living out in the country has offered many opportunities to enjoy the beauty of total silence sprinkled with only the sounds of nature when walking through the woods. But this was different.

The silence that weighed so heavily in the house was a quick reminder of all the noise around us all the time, noises hardly noticed until they had gone. Suddenly there was no noise of the refrigerator, the central air, the dishwasher, the continual buzzing of all things electric and any other number of sounds that go unnoticed from day to day. They are the sounds of things on which we find ourselves dependent for everyday existence.

But what happens if we no longer have those things? Without all the noise, distractions, and possibly without all those 'conveniences', we might find ourselves spending a little more time with God.

The Bible speaks of a time when men had forsaken God. He had been replaced in the hearts of many by idols. They had become fascinated with the things they had created. They found themselves worshipping their creations. They no longer spent time with God but had convinced themselves He was not necessary. They could get along just fine with the 'convenient gods' they had made.

Habakkuk 2:18-20 (NLT) says, ""What have you gained by worshiping all your man-made idols? How foolish to trust in something made by your own hands! What fools you are to believe such lies! How terrible it will be for you who beg lifeless wooden idols to save you. You ask speechless stone images to tell you what to do. Can an idol speak for God? They may be overlaid with gold and silver, but they are lifeless inside. But the Lord is in his holy Temple. Let all the earth be silent before him."

Now I'm pretty certain you are not worshipping your household appliances. I don't believe those things would be considered idols. An 'idol' would represent anything interfering with our relationship with God.

But do you think He just may reveal what those idols in our lives are if we just took a little more time to be 'silent' before Him?

"Let all the earth be silent before him."