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We live in a society full of noise. Whether it’s the noise of the hubbub of the city, the music from your mp3 player, listening to the radio, or the constant conversation of coworkers, we are surrounded by noise almost constantly. We even face noise of the mind, such as constantly being distracted by Facebook, Twitter, email, or text messaging.

Jesus and His disciples faced their own kind of noise during Jesus’s earthly ministry. In Mark 4, Jesus was out and about teaching the crowds. He told a number of parables, and then when evening came Jesus wanted to retreat from the crowds a bit. Read the story of what happened next in Mark 4:35-41.

They withdrew from the noise of the crowds to seek some quiet, only to be taken up into the noise of a storm! But what happens next? Jesus quiets the storm by saying, “Quiet! Be still!” Not only does this show His authority over the wind and the waves, but it also gives us a model of what to do when we’re surrounded by the noise. We need to be quiet and still before God.

My favorite Psalm is Psalm 46. Ironically, given my busy lifestyle, my favorite verse of that psalm is Psalm 46:10. The first portion of that verse is often quoted: “Be still, and know that I am God.” That phrase is even inscribed on a ring that I wear all the time. When we hear this phrase, we often picture being quiet, getting away from the noise of life, and sitting and praying to God.

But in studying Psalm 46:10 in the original Hebrew text, there’s much deeper meaning there. My conversational translation from the Hebrew would go something like this: “Stop what you’re doing and get to know Me intimately.” We need to stop all the “noisy” things we do in our lives so that we can allow God to come into our lives and truly get to know Him. He wants to know each one of us intimately, but we have to make room to let Him in by spending time in quiet.

Jesus can quiet a storm, but God would love for each one of us to quiet our hearts so that we show our desire to get to know Him as intimately as He knows us. Take time often to quiet your heart, turn off all the noise that surrounds you in your life, and know that He is God.