We live in a world of too much! Too much food. Too much information. Too much technology. Too much pain. Too much talking. Too much to do.
In my work with pastors, I have seen the effects of the tragedy of too much. All the excess stuff that fills our heads, crowds our hearts and overflows our smart phones or daily planners can keep us from hearing and experiencing God.
Many people today live their lives on full-time overload. For those in ministry, the problem is complicated by the fact that much of what consumes us is good stuff—Bible studies, small groups, service projects, counseling sessions, worship services, study and preparation, and on and on and on.
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A few verses later, David commands his own soul to “wait in silence for God only.” This veteran of prayer and praise recognized there is discipline involved waiting silently for God.
Perhaps the tragedy of too much is the reason the Bible teaches us about fasting. By limiting what we allow our hearts and minds to consume, we are better positioned to hear and experience God Himself. Fasting is a technique for turning down everything that’s too much so we can do what we’re supposed to do: Be still and wait in silence for God only.
I recently read an amazing biography called Unbroken about Louie Zamperini. The book was written by Laura Hillenbrand, who wrote the bestselling Seabiscuit.
Louie Zamperini was an Olympic track star who was thrust into the terror of the Pacific Theater of World War II. A bombardier who barely survived several missions, Louie finally went down one day and found himself in a raft with one other crewman. The story of their survival is powerful and epic.
Without food and only the water from an occasional rainstorm, Louie and Phil survived for more than 40 days. Louie was not a man of faith, but the two men prayed specifically for rain. Amazingly, their prayers often were answered.
During their 40th day at sea, Louie had a profound spiritual experience:
Above him, floating in a bright cloud, he saw human figures, silhouetted against the sky. He counted twenty one of them. They were singing the sweetest song he had ever heard. Louie stared up, astonished, listening to the singing. What he was seeing and hearing was impossible, and yet he felt absolutely lucid. This was, he felt certain, no hallucination, no vision. He sat under the singers, listening to their voices, memorizing the melody, until they faded away. Phil had seen and heard nothing. Whatever this had been Louie concluded this had been for him alone!
How often does the Bible speak of 40-day fasts? Louie believed it was after 40 days without food and only minimal water—and having none of what we consider basic necessities of life—that he was most spiritually alive and attuned to God. Perhaps Jesus, after being led by the Spirit into the wilderness to fast for 40 days and nights, was not at His weakest point spiritually when he faced Satan, but at His strongest.
Perhaps it is time for those of us who want to hear God speak into our lives deeply and richly to take a serious fast not only from food, but also from those things which cloud our ears and hearts.
Perhaps it is time for us to erect some protective boundaries and margins in our lives and ministries so these words of Scripture become the reality of our lives:
Be still and know that I am God.
My soul waits in silence for God only.
