Q Is For Quiet Series

Introduction

1. Sometimes it can get pretty exciting around our house...

between Kay and I...

our 4 children...

2 dogs, a cat, and several fish...and a frog...

well, it seems like there is always something going on...

There are times in my day when I just long for peace and quiet!!

As the song says, “blesses quietness”!!

2. As we continue our journey through the Bible by using the alphabet...

we come to the letter Q..

Now, to be honest, there aren’t a lot of Q words in the Bible!!...

But certainly this particular Q word is worth its weight in gold!!

Q is for quiet!! and its different forms...

According to the dictionary...

Quiet means making little or no noise : the car has a quiet engine

or a place, period of time, or situation without much activity, without disturbance, or without excitement : the street below was quiet because little traffic was braving the snowstorm.

without being disturbed or interrupted : all he wanted was some

peace and quiet.

carried out discreetly, secretly, or with moderation : we wanted a quiet wedding

a person who is tranquil and reserved by nature; not brash or forceful : a quiet man.

to make or become silent, calm, or still : there are ways of quieting kids down...I just don’t know if they are legal!! :)

3. In the Bible, quiet and its forms appears 51 times in both the Old and New Testaments...

In my study of all 51, I broke down the word quiet (or lack of quiet) to three areas...

A. Quiet Things or objects...

B. Quiet as it relates to people...

C. And Quiet as it relates to God

Read Text:

1. Quiet Things

A. wind and Waves: Mark 4:39

“Jesus got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves,

"Quiet! Be still!"

Then the wind died down and it was completely calm.

when there was just a little too much excitement in the disciples’ life...

with the storm breaking over the boat...

Jesus took it upon Himself to quiet things down a bit...

B. Waters: Psalm 23:2

“He makes me lie down in green pastures,

he leads me beside quiet waters”

In this well-known verse of Scripture...

God isn’t making the rough waters quiet...

But instead, He is leading us, His sheep into places of

peace and quiet...

There is something about peaceful surroundings that speak to us...

There is something about the beauty and quietness of nature points us to God...

Elijah was confronted with some of the extremes of nature...

a mighty wind...a strong earthquake...and a raging fire...

But God didn’t speak to Elijah through any of those...

it was through that still, small voice (1 Kings 19) that God spoke to Elijah.

C. The City was peaceful and quiet 1 Chr. 4:40

1 Chronicles 4:40 says...

“ found rich, good pasture,

and the land was spacious, peaceful and quiet.”

This chapter talks about there being an absence of war...

and certainly we desire to be peaceful and quiet.

D. Nation

In 1 Chronicles 22:9...God told David...

“But you will have a son who will be a man of peace and rest, and I will give him rest from all his enemies on every side. His name will be Solomon, and I will grant Israel peace and quiet during his reign.”

2. Quiet People

A. Words: Ecc. 9:17

“The quiet words of the wise are more to be heeded

than the shouts of a ruler of fools.”

Sometimes people feel like they have to get loud to better make their point...

In an argument...you will see people trying to shout down the other person...

When you have opposing groups protesting in the same location...

it can get quite loud...

I’m not so sure that all that noise is effective...

B. Specifically, Jacob was a quiet man, as vs. Esau. Gen. 25:27

Genesis 25:27 says,

“ grew up,

and Esau became a skillful hunter,

a man of the open country,

while Jacob was a quiet man,

staying among the tents.”

C. In Psalm 131:2, David is telling us that a quiet trust in God is what we need...

“But I have stilled and quieted my soul;

like a weaned child with its mother,

like a weaned child is my soul within me.

Picture a young baby or child in the arms of his mother...

he’s been fed...

he’s had his diaper changed...

he feels the comfort of simply being in his mother’s arms...

looking up into the face of someone who loves him...

Perhaps that is the picture that David had in mind when he wrote this verse.

C. People also experience a LACK of quiet...

In Job 3:26, Job says...

“I have no peace, no quietness; I have no rest, but only turmoil."