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Have you ever heard a snowflake fall?

As a young boy growing up on a farm in northwestern Washington state, I remember the harsh winter weather quite vividly. During the spring and summer months, it rained often. In the winter, that same precipitation brought significant snowfall.

I would stand in front of the large front room window watching the beautiful, large, fluffy snowflakes drift through the air. Unlike the “snow storms” in the Southeast, it usually accumulated quickly and deeply. I couldn’t wait to play in it.

The persistent kid in me forced me to stay outdoors until my clothes were soaked and my mittens were frozen gauntlets. My hands would get so cold my mother would run warm water over them to help thaw them. That painful, tingling sensation as the numbness thawed and feeling restored served as an excruciating reminder of all the day’s “fun.”

I remember making my way through the snow and sitting on a tree stump in the pasture. There was no wind, no traffic, no one else around. The deafening quietness roared in my head. I realized then I could actually hear the snow fall. It was a gentle, velvety, muffled pitter-patter as each flake completed its heavenly flight downward, softly kissing the earth.

Contrast that with the noise and busyness of today’s life. We live in a very noisy society with very little quiet time to ourselves. Yet, Scripture encourages us to be still and know God is in control, to walk beside still waters, and to step aside for a while to rest.

To be quiet is to enable hearing God. He doesn’t yell; He whispers. He whispered to Samuel in the middle of the night. He came to Elijah in a still small voice. Often, we find His interactions are in quiet settings with those who are listening and expecting to hear from Him. In that quietness we find strength.

Spend some time alone with God, whether in the quiet morning hours or as you settle in for the evening. No children, no television, no smart phone or Internet. Just you alone with God and His Word in silent expectation to hear His unique whisper meant only for you. You’ll be amazed at what you finally hear. Maybe even snowflakes.

(Photo courtesy of morguefile and mconnors.)

(For more devotions, visit us at www.christiandevotions.us.)