Drop Thy still dews of quietness!
As I sat in the quiet of our new dining area opening my Bible on today’s portion, I became aware of the arrival of the 06.30 Gateman. He opens all the gates of the building site where activity starts at about 07.30, including the one right outside our new home. Although I spent my working life around and sometimes on building sites, I didn’t expect or choose to live on one!
The continual wet weather put the development more than two months behind schedule, which is why our days are enlivened by heavy machinery, the voices of safety hatted workers on mobile phones, delivery vehicles sometimes blocking driveways whilst waiting to access construction areas and the constant ministrations of the road cleaning vehicles.
Imagine my attention really being awoken by a line in the day’s passage about Solomon building the temple and his arrangements. In 1 Kings 6 verse 7 it says ‘in building the temple, only blocks dressed at the quarry were used, and no hammer, chisel or any other iron tool was heard at the temple site while it was being built. Imagine; a quiet building site!
I suppose that Solomon wanted the site to have an aura of special reverence. In this life of intrusive sounds it is very helpful to our mental wellbeing to remove ourselves from noise. God tells us in Psalm 46 v 10 ‘Be still and know that I am God’. This encourages stillness to recognise God’s sovereignty, particularly amidst chaos or anxiety. It translates to ceasing striving, to surrendering and trust in God’s control, rather than rely on human strength or understanding, to find peace and comfort.
One of the most popular hymns is ‘Dear Lord and Father of mankind’. It includes the verse starting with ‘O Sabbath rest by Galilee, O calm of hills above, where Jesus knelt to share with Thee the silence of eternity interpreted by love’. Silence can sometimes be disturbing but not in the presence of Jesus. In a later verse it continues the theme, ‘Drop Thy still dews of quietness till all our strivings cease; take from our souls the strain and stress and let our ordered lives confess the beauty of Thy peace’.
My prayer is that, despite the intrusive noise of the world, we can show this peace to all we meet.
Ian Jepps