Knowing God in the Silence of Advent

By Marybeth McGee

One of my favorite things to do in the month of December is to sit alone in my living room, staring at the ceiling, with all of the lights off except the soft glow of the white Christmas tree lights. Each of the bulbs on my tree has a slow and random fading in and out, which turns my ceiling into a full-on Christmas kaleidoscope. This tends to happen at night, after everyone else has gone to sleep, which means not only is it dark—it is quiet. I have no other choice but to just be still and stare at the unpredictable but beautiful events unfolding on my ceiling. It is actually one of the few times during the busy Advent season that I can sit in silence.

I have to admit I can feel like a bit of a Grinch with all the “noise, noise, noise” of the holiday season, and by holiday season I mean the second half of the year.  As soon as school starts, the book fair, sports games, and one event after another fill the calendar. Then come parent-teacher conferences and Halloween costumes, and before you know it, it’s time to thaw the turkey and put up the Christmas tree.

Even in the midst of the hustle and bustle of the season, Advent is calling us to silence. As Mary and Joseph wander around Bethlehem, both Mary and Bethlehem bursting at the seams, they are drawn out away from the crowds to the manger. I can imagine in the moment John 1:14 becomes reality, what little sounds may have existed became silent to Mary as she delivered the one who would one day deliver her. In the same way, as the glory of the Lord shone around the shepherds of Luke 2, the droning on of the day-to-day work of keeping sheep, the pressures of everyday life, stood silent before the hosts of heaven.

Have you ever had one of those moments? A moment when the entire world is drowned out by the deafening silence of a moment with the Lord. This is the stillness of Psalm 46. In the chaos of all that the season will usher in, how will you seek God as your refuge and strength? Will He be your help in the trouble of rocky relationships with extended family, failed desserts, gifts that fell flat, or the empty seat at the table? Take time this season, and in the months to come, to behold the works of the LORD. In the midst of the chaos, can you bow before the LORD of hosts and be still? He is God; He will be exalted among the nations and in the earth. The God of Jacob, born in a manger—a mighty fortress. The world pushes us to swirl and whirl along with jingle bells and endless ads insisting we have problems only the newest and greatest things can fix. We can exhaust ourselves attempting to make the magical moments our kids or grandkids will remember for a lifetime. Instead, I encourage you to seek out opportunities to rest and reflect on the manger and how the Word that became flesh calls us to cease our striving, to be still, and to know that He is God.