WORD OF THE WEEK - QUIET - 11-2-25

Definition:a state or quality of being free from noise, disturbance, or activity. It can describe environments, people, or actions that are calm, subdued, or discreet.

Isaiah 30:15 — “In quietness and trust is your strength.”

James 1:19 — “Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry.”

1 Thessalonians 4:11–12 — “Aspire to live quietly, mind your own affairs, and work with your hands… so that you may walk properly before outsiders.”

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Website: www.wow-newton.com
Email:  osnewton@wow-newton.com

Transcript

Scriptures: 
Isaiah 30:15 — “In quietness and trust is your strength.”
James 1:19 — “Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry.”
1 Thessalonians 4:11–12 — “Aspire to live quietly, mind your own affairs, and work with your hands… so that you may walk properly before outsiders.”

THOUGHT
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If you don’t work nights, have you ever found yourself waking between 3:00 and 5:00 a.m.?
Psychologists say this is when the brain processes deeper emotions, often through vivid dreams or sudden wakefulness. Some traditions see it differently—as a sacred time for reflection, when the veil between the conscious and unconscious is thinnest.
For me, the hours between 3:00 and 5:00 a.m.  is the time I hear from God. It is when  the earth is still, my husband’s rhythmic breathing indicates he is resting peacefully, and my mind is able to receive and hear, unencumbered by distraction. 
At this time of the morning, the serenity is as it was when I was a child sitting in my tree. When the breeze succumbed to silence, I would feel my tree’s nurturing embrace.  It nestled me as I watched the birds play and sing.  When my world was most chaotic, my tree was where my soul could be quiet. It was a place where I found not only comfort, but true peace.   I loved that tree!
In 1983 Hurricane Alicia destroyed my tree. I was hurt, devastated and angry.  However, days later, I realized I no longer needed my tree—because I, too, had weathered the storm and survived.
Because I had two small children to protect, I watched and prayed through every moment of Hurricane Alicia.  I witnessed the eerie quiet of the eye of the storm shortly before its display of awesome power.  I saw and heard the sounds of the huge pecan tree being torn from its roots in our backyard as sparks from a fried transformer barely missed my neighbors’ roof.  The storm waters were creeping toward the house after washing out the street.   
Although the blown transformer left us without power for days it caused no irreparable damage.  Amazingly, the tree that fell in the backyard had branches that fell over the roof and engulfed the house as though it had become a blanket protecting it from any damage that could have affected us.  The house suffered no damage; we only had to remove the debris.
Yes, I was afraid, but this was the first time that I had ever experienced peace in the midst of my storm.  Hurricane Alicia was where I witnessed God’s love and care firsthand. While cleaning the debris, I realized my tree had been God’s surrogate—a divine substitute that helped me, even as a child, feel His love and care.
The hurricane that destroyed my tree also helped me feel the powerful connection with God that helped me feel the quiet assurance that in chaos or struggle, God would provide comfort and peace. I had grown up!
Even now, when I wake in the stillness of early morning, I remember that tree—and the peace that met me there. A song from childhood still echoes in my spirit:
Joys are flowing like a river,Since the Comforter has come.He abides with us forever,Makes the trusting heart His home.
Blessed quietness, holy quietness,Blest assurance in my soul!On the stormy sea, *Jesus speaks to me, [*He speaks peace to me,]And the billows cease to roll.


** “Blessed Quietness” - written by Manie Payne Ferguson