“I need a silent night, a holy night, to hear an angel voice through the chaos and the noise,” are the song lyrics by contemporary Christian artist Amy Grant that keep playing through my mind right now. They are from “I Need a Silent Night.” Do you need a silent night? A silent day? Can we even appreciate silence?

Farm life has its own unique hustle and bustle 365 days a year. Add in outside careers or jobs, children and their activities, church, Bible studies and possibly vacation. Where are the silent nights in that mix?

“I need a midnight clear, a little peace right here, to end this crazy day with a silent night,” the lyrics continue. Living on or near our farms gives us the perfect vantage point to step outside on a crystal-clear night, pull ourselves up on the truck tailgate and look up. What do we hear? Hopefully, silence. What’s in that silence? Reverence? Awe? Comfort? Gratitude?

Well-known hymn composer Franz Gruber, in his beloved Christmas carol “Silent Night,” wrote, “All is calm, all is bright.” That stanza chides me that all is calm and all is bright because our Savior and Emmanuel was born. Psalm 46:10 says, “Be still and know that I am God.” The Lord speaks to us in the silence and the stillness. It’s a matter of perspective.

“Every shepherd’s out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night,” are spoken words from Grant’s song. Watching our flocks or herds doesn’t guarantee quiet, but the shepherds all those years ago stopped what they were doing to respect the holiness of the moment and witness good news of great joy.

Nothing trumps the Good News — not an errant sheep, a restless cow, presents over presence or, as Grant says, “trying to buy Christmas peace.”

Let us be still, and embrace a silent night and the Prince of Peace.

Hayhurst writes from Terre Haute, Ind.