28 | Be Steady

Happy Tuesday!  

I've always felt like Tuesday is a bit like the neglected stepchild of the week. Mondays are notoriously awful, but at least they have a recognizable reputation.  Wednesdays are Hump Days. Thursdays are almost-the-weekend excitement builders.  We "Thank God for Fridays."  (Really, aren't we thanking God for every day we get?).  Saturdays we celebrate for the opportunity to play, and Sunday is our blessed day of rest.

Feeling sorry for Tuesdays, I started celebrating them when I was teaching high school English.  By "celebrating" I mean welcoming students with a cheery "Happy Tuesday!" and a high five as they entered my classroom.  They thought I was weird. (They were right.)  It didn't catch on.  

But I didn't give up.  While I may not have changed Tuesdays into days of joy and jubilation, it certainly put me in a good mood.  Sometimes that's all we need to do a world of good in our little corner of the world.

What does all this have to do with taking time to be still?

It is my prayer that we don't give up this time to be still with our Lord.  May God ensure that it catches on in our lives and does a world of good in our faith journeys.

We are 28 days into this stillness series, and you're probably realizing: 1) It's not easy to be still on a daily basis, and 2) When you can find time to be still, it's a worthwhile investment.

With Day 31 on the horizon, let me give you a little encouragement for holding on to this habit of stopping and soaking up God's presence.  Let's be steady in pursuing God's stillness, well beyond October, into the gratitude of November and the celebration of December and the resolutions of January. 

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There are going to be things that will knock us off this straight and narrow path of quietly, slowly talking with and listening to God.  Busy days.  Sick days.  Days of travel.  Days of neglect.  Days with joy so full we forget we need our God.  Days with despair so deep we feel distant from God.  

Knowing we are imperfect, knowing we don't have to do this perfectly, knowing God's grace is sufficient to make this habit holy and whole, let us patiently pledge to make our best effort to meet with our Savior every day.

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Because days that harbor pockets of God's peace are a key piece in keeping our sanity, tending to our resilience, and nurturing our faith.  And with our steady persistence, with God's divine intervention, we will find it easier and easier to discover these pockets of peace.

One step at a time.

What is your first step going to be?  

I've got news for you.  You've already taken your first step.  You are here today, devoting time to thinking about your relationship with God.  You are contemplating how you can be still in his presence.  Whether this is your first time stopping by or your 28th visit, you are on the right track.

What is your next step going to be?

Stop back tomorrow.  I'll have another post for you Wednesday, and Thursday, and Friday. After October, my aim is to post twice a week.  (Will you say a quick prayer for me that I can deliver?)

Or if you don't stop here (I am weird, after all), stop somewhere with God and your Bible and a prayer.  Keep it simple.  God will meet you wherever you are.

And after that?  

Pledge to persevere.  Maybe you dig the daily devotion.  Maybe weekly is more your thing.  Maybe two or three times a week is what you can manage.  Pray about your time of sweet stillness with God.  Ask him to help you discern whether it is better to start with a doable goal to build momentum, or if you need to serious challenge to kick your faith up a notch.  As for me, I'm pledging for truly daily devotions and stillness.  I've held this as a loose-y goose-y goal for too long now.  It's time to be steady in my followthrough.   

Whatever you decide about the frequency, make a specific plan to Be Still with God. Put it in your calendar.  But beware of the abbreviation: BS w/ G.  Unless that puts a smile on your face and makes for a Happy Tuesday.  Then go for it.  As I've said before, I'm convinced God has a sense of humor. 

 

After that, it's time to take action and see what God does in your quiet time.  I love how this bit of inspiration from Hazelden Publishing's book Twenty Four Hours a Day describes the transformation like water against stone.

Spiritual development is achieved by daily persistence in living the way you believe God wants you to live. Like the wearing away of a stone by steady drops of water, so will your daily persistence wear away all the difficulties and gain spiritual success for you... God will help and strengthen you, as long as you are trying to do His will.  

Being still, stopping all the doing to rest and rejuvenate in God, leads to spiritual development.  (If only physical development worked like that!)  Steady drop by steady drop of drinking up God's word will quench our thirst and help our roots grow deep.  It will wear away the rocky, stony places in our lives.  Steady persistence in being still and knowing God allows us unfettered access to his strength and peace. I don't know about you, but I can use all the strength and peace I can get!

Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.  1 Corinthians 15:58

Let's give ourselves fully to this work of focusing on our Lord's word and will and way.  Life's storms and distractions will try to push us off our peaceful path. But when things try to move us, we can pray to God to help us to stand steady and firm. Every effort we make to this end will be rewarded in full in our relationship with our Heavenly Creator.

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And if you ever doubt or despair you ability to be steady in your devotion to God, remember that you can do hard things, because you can do all things through Christ who strengthens you (Philippians 4:13).  

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Lord,

As I have traveled down this path of being still with you this month, it is all the more clear to me that I need your stillness.  Your peace and grace sustain me and uplift me.  The more time I spend with you, the more serene I feel.  The more you bless me, the more I can a blessing to others.  

As these 31 Days to Be Still wind down, help me to reflect on how to best stay steady and on track in making time for you.  Show me the spaces in my days where we can be together in faith — both the doable, easy opportunities and the challenging points where I will most benefit from our quiet time.  Lead me in building this habit even further, so that I may continue to grow in your love.

In the weeks to come, I ask for your strength and steadfastness.  On my own I'm prone to wander.  Bind my wandering heart to you, Lord.  When I'm distracted or lazy, nudge me gently and push me persistently into eager anticipation of sitting at your feet, soaking up your goodness and your glory.  I pray that this daily habit continues and grows.  I pray that being still in your presence is as necessary and automatic for me as sleeping, eating, and breathing.  You are my blessed sustenance, and for that I am so very grateful.

Amen.



As you are thinking about how you might continue your time to be still with God, here are some resources and ideas.  

SOAP Bible study for more meaningful engagement with God's word (via allourdays.com)

Feeling too busy to read the Bible?  Glamorouslymommy.com has a Bible recommendation for you.

Dedicate a month to daily prayers for you children, using this printable from www.familymatters.net.