1Thess. 4:11 (KJV) And that ye study to be quiet………..

 There is little doubt that the tempo of life in the first century A.D., when Paul wrote these words to the Thessalonians, was rather slower than it is today.

Nevertheless, Paul encouraged the church at Thessalonica to “study to be quiet “.Even in those days, quietness for most people was not the normal state of affairs, it needed to be sought.

Today, with the huge array of electronic gadgetry available, we have music on tap twenty four hours a day. We are encouraged to “live life to the full”.

To the majority of people, the idea of “studying to be quiet” is a foreign concept. Quietness however, is essential for serious thinking. If we want to hear God’s voice we need to “study to be quiet”.

If we look at the life of Jesus we see he was often under pressure because of the multitudes wishing to hear him, as in Mark 3:20: “And the multitude cometh together again, so that they could not so much as eat bread”. Jesus however made sure he had periods of quietness even if it meant some inconvenience on his part.

In Mark 1:35 :we read: And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, he went out, and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed”. Quietness may have gone out of fashion, but as Christians we need to follow Paul’s advice and “study to be quiet”.

 Ian Carlson