The Quiet Ambitionಮಾದರಿ

“Live Quietly”

What does it mean to “live quietly”?

The phrase may conjure Thomas Kinkade-esque pictures of peaceful pastures or glowing cabins in the woods. Biblically speaking, however, living quietly isn't a romantic ideal; it's a gift of grace. It flows from a heart that is at peace with the Lord, and it can be lived out most anywhere.

We hear of this throughout the Scriptures. For instance, the prophets commonly pick up on this theme. The Lord says through the prophet Isaiah, "In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength” (Isaiah 30:15). Again, in Isaiah 32:17: "The fruit of righteousness will be peace; the effect of righteousness will be quietness and confidence forever." And Zephaniah speaks movingly of this when he says, "The LORD your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, and He will quiet you with His love" (Zephaniah 3:17). The love of the Lord alone can still our restless souls.

The Psalms poetically and prayerfully capture this quiet posture like nothing else can. "In God alone my soul is silent," David prays. "My salvation comes from Him" (Psalm 62:1). And once more, in the famous verse of Psalm 46: "Be still and know that I am God." Quietness signals confidence in God to save. Living quietly, therefore, means, above all, leaning on the Lord.

It's with this cultural and biblical background that St. Paul will then tell us that living quietly is an aim worth praying for: "I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people, for kings and all who are in authority, in order that we might lead peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and dignity. This is good and acceptable before God our Savior" (1 Tim 2:1-3). God approves of the quiet life!

What are the “noisemakers” in your life that keep you from living quietly?