Does anyone else find it can get noisy in their head? Lots of voices demanding attention. Deadlines. Stress. Self-criticism. Doubt. Shame. To-do lists. Exhaustion. Plans. Regrets. Expectations. Just a small snapshot of my mind on an average day.
It can become cluttered and confusing, sometimes overwhelmingly so. And strangely, many of those voices tend to be negative. I can replay a mistake I made for weeks, yet a job well done might only linger for a few hours before quietly disappearing. Somehow criticism echoes, while encouragement whispers.
I’m beginning to notice that all this internal busyness makes listening to God quite difficult. At times I feel as though God could do with a megaphone just to get my attention.
That’s one of the reasons I like walking. It occupies part of my brain, requiring just enough focus to put one foot in front of the other and keep track of where I am going. (Although keeping track is occasionally optional. I have been known to get a little lost.)
Near where I live there’s a river, interrupted by a couple of weirs that regulate the water level. They create a constant rushing sound, something like a muted waterfall. It’s exactly the right volume for me, loud enough to drown out the inner noise but gentle enough not to drive every thought away.
Sometimes it is possoble to meet with God in the silence, calm and still. But sometimes silence is simply too crowded. My thoughts fill it before God’s voice has room to settle.
The sound of the river changes that. Its steady rhythm seems to carry away some of the mental clutter, leaving space to notice that God was present all along. Perhaps hope sometimes begins not with God speaking louder, but with us finally able to listen.
Walking there has become a new favourite place to pray, especially now as the first signs of spring begin to appear along the banks. I’m learning that listening to God doesn’t always mean escaping distraction. Sometimes it means finding what helps us pay attention.
For me, at the moment, it’s water, movement, and the quiet companionship of a river flowing steadily onward. What about you? Where do you go to meet God? What helps you hear His voice beneath the noise?
The Reason for my Hope Blog 