July 29, 2016 – Words From Merton
Avoid the Noise

“And He came out and proceeded as was His custom to the Mount of Olives; and the disciples also followed Him. When He arrived at the place, He said to them, “Pray that you may not enter into temptation.” And He withdrew from them about a stone’s throw, and He knelt down and began to pray, saying, “Father, if You are willing, remove this cup from Me; yet not My will, but Yours be done.” Luke 22:39-42

“You will never find interior solitude unless you make some conscious effort to deliver yourself from the desires and the cares and the attachments of an existence in time and in the world. Do everything you can to avoid the noise….” Thomas Merton (The Pocket Thomas Merton, p. 74-75)

As someone who likes to write, I often find myself battling the noises of life and the noises of living in relationships with my family. These are noises that I will miss one day, but I find myself trying to avoid those noises when it comes time to write my devotions and write my sermons.

Jesus knew when it was time to withdraw from the people, the ministry, and the disciples in hopes of getting some much needed rest, and much needed escape from the noise. He was not trying to get away from his friends and colleagues as much as he was trying to find time to listen to His Father. But he had to do what he had to do to make that happen.

I have found that time tends to do two things when I find silence in my life. In some instances, it flies by so fast I don’t know where the time went. At other times it moves so slowly that the silence is deafening and agonizing. But without silence, our lives become an endless highway of noise and clutter. We must learn to embrace silence when the noise becomes too much – because the noise can become so loud we can lose our way, if not our purpose for the day.

Pastor Dave