2015 Volume Two

Finding Quiet
by Mark Danko
If your house is just as busy (and
noisy) as our house, then you
often fi nd it hard to fi nd time to
be alone. I’m not talking about
being alone with your spouse or
being alone with your children;
I’m talking about being ALONE.
With the hustle and bustle of
our morning routine, a frantic
commute to and from work,
dropping off and picking up the
children, even the opportunities
for quiet times in our life are fi lled
with noise such as cell phone
conversations, radio, or music.
Some time, ago, my car stereo
stopped working. In the moment,
I thought this was another
“end times” event and that the
“Rapture” was about to take
place at any moment! However,
I quickly fi lled the uncomfortable
quiet in the vehicle with
streaming radio from my iPhone,
as an interim solution.
Several months have passed
waiting for parts and I recently
got into my vehicle and, after
driving for a whole day , realized
that I hadn’t had anything playing
in the background! Somewhere
along the way, I had actually
gotten used to driving without
any “noise”.
I began to take stock of the
other areas of my life where I
have allowed “noise” to creep
in or where I have introduced it.
I go to bed with the TV on. My
children go to bed with the radio
on, listening to “Adventures in
Odyssey” or Worship music,
which can be heard in the
background at times when we
all go to bed at the same time.
I like to have background music
playing when I’m working. I even
play soft Christian instrumental
music in the Prayer Room during
my prayer and study time. I seem
to always be around “noise”!
Recently, a dear brother in the
Lord gave me a book on fi nding
refuge in the “Secret Place”.
“He who dwells in the secret
place of the Most High
Shall abide under the shadow of
the Almighty.
I will say of the Lord, “He is my
refuge and my fortress;
My God, in Him I will trust.”
Psalm 91:1-2 (NKJV)
Finding quiet in the secret place
to be alone with God can be a
struggle amidst the demands of
today’s busy lifestyles and noisy
households. It takes effort to
carve out time - quiet time - to be
with the Lord. While it may not
be easy, I can assure you, it is
well worth the investment!
And, so, I have found my
way back to an appreciation,
understanding, and love of what
it means to be ALONE and alone
with God. I think that it is in those
quiet times that we hear His “still
small voice”. It is in those times
of refl ection and listening that we
are truly refreshed.
“and after the earthquake a fi re,
but the Lord was not in the fi re;
and after the fi re a still small
voice.”
1 Kings 19:12 (NKJV)
It is said that prayer is a dialogue
not a monologue but I am sure
you have experienced times of
prayer that seemed “one-sided”:
your needs, your wants, and
your desires; your concerns and
your hopes. But what about
God? What does He want?
More importantly, what does He
want from you?
If you have you ever felt God
wasn’t hearing your prayers,
imagine how God feels with you
not hearing Him!
Prayer should be a conversation,
not a dictation. And, it can’t
effectively take place in the
presence of all the noise and
distractions. You are only fooling
yourself.
“Draw near to God and He will
draw near to you.”
James 4:8 (NKJV)
If you are doing all the talking
and none of the listening, you
will experience a “disconnect”
with God, over time.
Matthew 6:8 says that Father
knows what things you have
need of. That means you don’t
have to tell him all about your
problems. Focus your attention,
instead, on Him.
So, fi nd somewhere to be alone
with God and you will discover
the “Secret” of the secret place
for yourself. Blessings.
Mark Danko is happily married and
happy in his marriage to his beautiful
wife, Michelle. Together, they have
been blessed with four boys and are
privileged to personally administer the
educational and character building
requirements for their children. Mark
is a businessman, entrepreneur,
inventor, writer, friend, and church
leader. You can follow Mark on Twitter
@markmdanko