31 | Beginning

Aaaaah.  Day 31.  Thirty-one days of stopping, resting, breathing, trusting.  

As I look back on this spiritual and writing challenge, I feel full.  It's not that post-Thanksgiving meal gorged-to-the-gills full.  It's a stretched-to-finding-new-space-to-breathe contentment.  It's a place of peace.  And joy.  (Oh, yes, and a little sliver of relief, too.)

We've had 31 Days to Be Still, sinking into God's word, meditating on the message.  I hope you've enjoyed the chance to in this sacred time with our living Lord.  I pray you've found one or two approaches that have resonated deep in your soul.

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We are at the technical end of this series.  I'm going to miss our conversations about resting in Godly stillness.  I so appreciate you joining me on this journey, whether your participation has been punctuated with comments written or spoken, or whether you have been a silent, spirit-filled partner in this pursuit.

But wait... we are not finished with our stillness.  Not by a long shot.  It is a practice that I pray each of us will continue, in our own inspired way.  

We are at the beginning of the next chapter of our devotion to God.

We are getting better at this being still all the time, with all the time we invest in him.  And we have all kinds of time to get it right.  So protect yourself from urgency, from pressure.  Proceed step by savored, slow step.

Hayley at TheTinyTwig.com captures this sentiment perfectly as she writes about living from a place of rest.  She encourages us to free ourselves from "getting it right," to living it with care.

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A woman who loves me sat me down about a year ago. She told me I had so much time... She challenged me to hold metaphorical hands with the Lord and just move forward, making sure to have energy to be in constant communion with God, making sure I had energy to love my people well, and even making sure I had energy to take care of myself.

I pray that each of us continues to hold hands with God, to take time and be wise with our energy, to live from God's peaceful place of rest.

So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.  Romans 12:2 (MSG)

I pray that in the November and December and into the new year, you keep fixing your attention on God.  Stay open to the way God changes you from the inside out.  Recognize the impact your special brand of God-breathed stillness has in your "walking-around life."

mat from DaySpring | photo from kaylaaimee.com

Continue to come to our living Lord and stay a while in the stillness.  Stand on the grace of your peaceful communion with Christ.  Repeatedly restore your energies. Rejuvenate your soul.  Let your heart be changed, stretched, and opened.  And from this welcome mat of God's grace, step into the world, walking in the footsteps of faith and living out God's love.

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Lord,

Each day this month you have taken my hand and pulled me into a place of peaceful stillness.  You have quieted my body, mind, and heart.  You have stirred my soul. You have fed me with the best nourishment I know.

Thank you.  

Thank you for your bright revival of my stale and tarnished  habit.  Thank you for beginning a new chapter in our time together.

Be with me daily as I continue to strengthen this habit of being still in your presence. Use this quiet practice to strengthen my faith and renew my heart and rejuvenate my soul.  And then use me, as only you can, to spread your love and grace in this world.  

Today is not an end but a beginning.  The beginning of the next phase of your blessed plans for me.  I have complete faith in your divine designs for my life.  Help me to match my faith with patience and perseverance each and every day.  Help me to recognize all the ways you bring the best out of me.  Because you always bring out the best in me — I just need to get still and take the time to notice.

Until this sweet, still time tomorrow,

Amen.

29 | Believe

Even when I know better, sometimes I wonder...

Why be still?

There are answers that float around my head...  I need to rest.  I need to breathe. Life is too fast.  My faith is so important.  It just feels good.

But here's the real reason, for me at least.  I believe being still is the best way for God to transform me into something more useful to this world.  

Wait.  That sounded kind of utilitarian, like I'm a measuring cup or a tire pump.

I'm not a tool.  I'm not a cog in a machine.

But I hope and pray I am a small but important peace in this amazing puzzle that is God's kingdom on earth.  A small but steady reflection of our Lord's light and grace. A small but sincere arrow, pointing up to heaven and glorifying our God.

Deidre Elzer-Lento via hccny.org

Yes, I'm a teacher.  Yes, I'm a church program assistant.  A mother.  A wife.  A sister and daughter and friend and neighbor.

But at the core, I am a child of God.

WestWillow via Etsy.com

A child.  Young.  Immature.  Growing.  At 45 I figure I'm only halfway to heaven, and God has a lot he can do through me before then.

So how do I best serve God?  How do I best prepare to please Jesus?  How do I humbly invite the Holy Spirit to stir my soul?

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I believe.  And I live out my belief.  I trust in God's transformation.  I go to the well of his word and drink deep.  I pray.  I pray.  And I pray some more. Then I harvest all that God has planted in me, scoop it up in my arms, and carry it out in the world.  I scatter his bounty in my words, my actions, my hugs, and my tears.  In the little details and the big bold statements.  I become a white board for his wisdom.  A mouthpiece for his message.  

Sometimes the proof of my loving God comes out like, "How could you deal with your annoyance over your brother in a more gentle way?"  Or, "What are some ways we can compromise about this weekend's plans?" And, "I'm sorry.  I hope I didn't step on your toes.  If I did, I'll gladly back off." Sometimes it looks like sending an "I'm thinking of you" email.  Or bringing a friend a good book.  And often a ten-minute back scratch.  Even if God's love comes out as something mundane, it is meaningful. 

When I'm rushed and crazed and crowded by earthly things, I don't feel God's nudges to be his hands and feet, his words and ears.  But when I am still in his presence, my belief blossoms into ideas for blessing others.

SpoonLily via Etsy.com

I believe that this is why God has put us on this earth: To love him with our whole hearts, and to love our neighbors as ourselves.  And to live. out. that. love.

We are going to get it wrong sometimes.  We'll confuse God's coordinates and tangle his transmissions.  But it is better to try and trip up, than to ignore God's guidance. We need to be confident in God's ability to bring his plans to fruition.

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We are going to fail sometimes.  But faith looks that possibility of failure in the face and says, "Not today.  Not if I can help it.  Not if I stand fast with my Lord."  In our moments of stillness and God-breathed focus, we can visualize the unseen, we can perceive God's implausible possibilities, as daunting as they may be.  And we are fueled to forge ahead.

These still, quiet communions with God, these moments of breathing in our belief, allow us to make a sacred space in our souls for our living Lord to dwell.  Then there is no stopping what we can do with God and for God.  We will not fall.  We will stand tall.  We will glow.  And grow.  And glorify him, the basis of our belief.

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Lord,

I believe in my heart, in the depths of my soul, that our sweet, still time together is the best gift you have for me.  I believe you take this quiet soaking of faith and use it to transform me.  I believe that when I invite you to sustain me, you will provide all the direction and determination I need to be your presence, right where I am planted. 

Thank you for this opportunity to be still with you today.  Thank you for inspiring me with your goodness and filling me with your love.  Thank you for blessing me with belief.

Amen

26 | Be Rooted

In my midwestern corner of the world, we are all going gaga over the fall foliage. The maples have blazed up in brilliance.  The birch have witnessed a golden glory. And even the oaks have peaked in deep auburn and chestnut hues.  Each tree is majestic in it's crowning colors.

But today, in our stillness, I'm not going to wax poetic on autumn leaves.  Their blaze is amazing, but temporary.  Today we are going to turn our attention to what makes this short-lived show possible.  We are going to get down to the root of the matter: the roots.

For all the beauty we see above ground, trees replicate their span and shape below ground in their network of roots.  If a tree's visible crown overshadows its root system, it becomes weak and vulnerable.

www.landscapinggallery.info

That's why today, while the whole neighborhood was out raking and mulching and piling and bagging leaves, many were also turning attention to getting the trees through the dry fall and the frozen winter.  Long trickling drinks of water nursed the underground growth of both young and mature specimens.  Thirsty trees can't be flooded quick — they need slow drips, a drink that runs deep.

Our faith lives are not so different from these towering plants.  Our outward acts of faith get the reaction.  When we serve as God's hands and feet, voice and love in the world, we reflect the amazing hues of who he is.  But these acts fall and fade away. They will be replaced with new labors, new favors.  And the cycle will repeat.  It's not our acts that sustain our faith — it's God's grace, and our belief in that grace and prayers for that grace.  It's what the Holy Spirit does quietly, invisibly beneath the surface.  And so we nurture our roots, our relationship God.  

Which, most likely, is exactly why you've stopped by today: to be still, to grow deep down into God.

When we are still, when we quiet our minds and our hearts, we make room for the seeds God sows.  We invite God to grow into our lives.  But if we get distracted in our days, if our busyness crowds out our connectedness to the Lord, the living word can't build stable roots to sustain us.

Sometimes this sneaks up on me in strange ways.  Here I am, 26 days into daily meditating and writing about being still, about nurturing our relationship with God, yet I'm feeling... well...  a bit distant from my Heavenly Father.  How can that be?

It's like the posts I've been sending forth are falling and fading into dull browns and tired tans.  It's been a glorious month of sharing God's peace and connecting with you all.  But it's been so outward and visible.  I've been focusing more on external expression than invisible, interior depth.  I'm looking forward to November. I'm needing more of the stillness where my voice is silent and God's voice is strong.

Do you ever find yourself in this place?  Your ministry might be nurturing your family, fulfilling your professional work in a faith-filled way, reaching out to your community as God's hands and feet and hugs and service.  And you find yourself loving what God is doing through you, yet drifting all the same?

Let's lift this up to our Lord.  Won't you please pray with me?

Lord,

Today I want to stretch my roots deep into your grace and peace.  Help me to focus solely on our relationship.  Be with me as I drink deep and slow from the well of your word, your will, your way.

You've given us this powerful parable of the farmer sowing his seed.

"As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root...  Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop—a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.  Matthew 13:4-8

I know that our quiet time together is that good soil.  Being still with you on a frequent basis provides rich fodder for your Holy Spirit to grow deep in my soul. Remind me to savor your word with meditation and prayer.  I want to receive the seeds of your good news with rich and welcoming soil.  I want to produce a crop of your loving kindness that feeds everyone in my midst.

I know that you can do this in me, in all who ask you to build a deep and healthy root system in their faith.  Just as Paul prayed over the Ephesians (3:16-19), I similarly pray that you might strengthen my inner being through your Spirit, so you may dwell in my heart.  And I ask that you continually remind me that I am rooted and established in your love.  I pray that you will give me the power to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is your love, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that I may be filled to the greatest possible measure with your heavenly fullness.  Lord, make this drinking up with your fullness is my biggest thirst, my most important priority, in all that I do.

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I eagerly look forward to the fruit of this deep root system that continually reaches for your strength and sustenance, Lord.  When I build my life on you, you grant me strength to get through the dry spells and cold snaps, you help me to overflow with thankfulness.  You insure that I am not weak to the power of temptation or negligent in our relationship.  My roots hold me firm in your way and your will.

The greatest blessing of this root system entwined in you, Lord, is that it continually holds me up.  It reminds me that I belong to you, my heavenly Father, King eternal. The winds and storms of this world may blow, but they cannot move you.  And they can do little more than rustle my leaves and bend my branches when I am rooted in you.  Thank you for naming and claiming me as your own child, for building me up in your amazing grace.  

Amen.

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21 | Be Creative

Do you remember back on Day 1 when I confessed I have a hard time being still and doing nothing? Three weeks into this challenging of being still, I must admit there are times when it isn't any easier.  If you are with me in the twitchy fingers, wandering mind department, have I got a sweet treat for you.

Today we get to be creative.  Crafty.  Coloring outside the lines and in our Bibles. Crazy in our inspired devotion to God.

I invite you to find your Bible, a piece of paper, and at least one nice pen that is a delight to use.

We're going to doodle.  Draw.  Decorate.  Find a verse that you like and fire away. Stumped for a verse?  I collect my favorites on my "well VERSEd" Pinterest board.

Once I've got a verse in my sights, I like to look it up in context and read the broader passage.

• I start by praying for God to open my mind to what he wants me to hear in his word today.  
• As I read, I reflect on where I see God at work in the passage.  
• I observe where God's message intersects with this current chapter of my life.
• Then I meditate on what God is asking me to do as I live out my faith in his word.

While I soak up these layers of meaning, I make notes.  I scribble.  I doodle.  And as settle into being engaged with God's word, God's meaning sinks deeper and sings in my heart as I invite him into my creative being.

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Sometimes I doodle in my quiet time journal.  Sometimes I dress up a bookmark or a cardstock scrap to tuck in my purse.  But after curating a collection of ideas from across the web, I'm ready to bust my creativity wide open.  I might doodle up a verse on a coffee mug, or on linen fabric for a pillow cover, or on my minivan.  Nope. Can't doodle on the minivan.  Mr. would have a heart attack.

Here are a few ideas if you need a little inspiration to jump start your creativity.

Start simple.  A verse or a quote adorned with lines, dots, swirls.  As your pen works, pray for God to work his message into your heart and into your day.

elleizahbeth via Etsy.com

I like little signs and reminders to keep me near God and on track.  This simple gem does the trick.

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Now look what the same dynamic doodler does in her Bible.  Stephanie Ackerman has an inspiring tutorial on adding pages to her Bible over on her Homegrown Hospitality blog.  Washi tape and Moleskin journal, here I come!

more goodness from homegrownhospitality.typepad.com

Are you reluctant to write and draw and decorate in your Bible?  Toss those preconceived notions aside and see what Veronica Milan does in hers.  I am love, love, LOVING this. You can read more about her Bible journaling process and her paper pleasures through this blog post.

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Overwhelmed with the possibilities?  Not sure where or how to start?  You can always play with coloring inside (or outside) the lines by printing out a Bible doodle page like this.  Yes, it's another Stephanie Ackerman creation.  I think I should be president of her fan club.  Or her personal minion.

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However you nurture your relationship with God while feeding your creative side (and EVERYONE has a creative side), remember this:

Myquillyn Smith @ thenester.com
Love this mantra?  Check out her amazing book on beautifying your home.

This isn't about creating art.  It's about building faith.  It's about dwelling in the word and dwelling in God.  Doodling can be a great device for mentally, spiritually dwelling.  Doodling can extend and enrich our ability to be still.  Play around with it, and observe how God plays out in your heart.

P.S.  I'm so inspired today I can't stop.  Here's one more crafty way to play with God's word.

If you've got a pocket full of rocks and God's word on your mind, you can paint and doodle away with messages that inspire you to be still and soak up some more God in your day.  Create a collection of Scripture stones as little centerpiece for your coffee table or slip one into your pocket for a tactile reminder.  Oh the places you can go when you give yourself permission to be still and be creative.

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P.P.S.  What are you inspired to do or doodle?  Share a photo via Pinterest or Instagram with #becreativeforChrist.  I can't wait to see what you come up with!

14 | Be Faithful

My apologies to those born after 1983.  The references in today's post to record players and old fashioned stereos will make very little sense unless you YouTube "prehistoric entertainment machines."  (Do you still YouTube?)  Consider it my invitation to get in touch with the older generation. ;') 

I don't know about you, but I typically feel pretty faithful.  Until I realize I'm not.

I'll be moseying along, doing my most-days Bible reading thing, praying here and there and everywhere, working on being still with God.  I'll be saying "show me the way, Lord," and "lead me to where you need me."  Checking all those spiritual practice and faith walk-the-talk boxes.

Then a project will stall.  An event will have a low turnout.  Or responses will be less than enthusiastic.

The soundtrack in my head plays that scritcccchheekkkccchk of the record player needle scratching over the vinyl.  

And, inevitably, because I'm flawed and human and slow, I look up at God and say, "What gives?  I thought you wanted this too?  What's up with this thing that feels like failure?"

Huh.  Not a lot of faith happening there.

In fact, I think that's pretty much what God must be saying when I pull that "What gives?" routine.

So, when I'm done pouting and picking holes in my efforts and questioning the whole purpose of what I was trying to do, I take a deep breath.  I just work on being still.  I twiddle the tuner buttons until I'm back on the God channel.  I rest and wait and listen until that feeling of failure fades to something that looks a lot more like faith.

I had to do exactly that today.  We had a spiritual practices open house of sorts in our church's chapel. Two hours for people enter into the stillness and enjoy some quiet meditation, some soft and spiritual music, and a little Lectio Divina.  Aside from a most gracious and talented musician and myself, one person stopped by.  

Now I had prayed about this and Facebook-ed and emailed about this, then I talked-it-up and prayed some more and added an extra layer of prayer, with whipped cream and a cherry on top.  I was pretty sure I covered all the bases.

So why just one person in the pews?

Is it because I didn't have enough faith?  Not even a mustard seed morsel?

everyday.Godinspires.me

Maybe it's because I expected a different mountain to move.  I wasn't looking in the right place for the action and the answered prayers.  My eyes were fixed on what was seen: empty pews.

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What God reminded me, through remembered words from last week's conversation with a colleague, was that some results are not seen.  If one or two people show up, that might look like a disappointing turnout.  But God brought those people exactly where they needed to be, and that is complete victory.  And those other people? The ones who didn't make it?  Perhaps they were exactly where they needed to be, doing a different kind of work for God.  And maybe, most likely, new traditions need time to build and grow and blossom.

Today in our chapel we created something beautiful: hushed stillness in the midst of a busy city.  Sunlight streaming through stained glass.  Grace-filled guitar notes and a beautiful voice, lifting up lyrics of praise and prayer.  I got to pray for two hours — about worries and work and next steps for our quiet chapel time — prayers that I definitely needed to lift up and let go.  And I got to listen, really listen for God in the music and the quiet and the creaking of old floorboards — which is what I needed even more.

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I figure at least 99% of God's incredible work is unseen by human eyes.  I can't begin to comprehend how he works.  And I certainly don't understand his timing. That's where faith comes in.

When we don't get the answer we want or expect, faith helps us to be still.  It helps us to switch from our expectations to God's vision, from what is seen to what is unseen.  It builds a bridge from disappointment to hope to trust.  It gives us patience to wait and to just be still as God continues his work in us and around us.

Let's pause here a moment and pray for the stillness and patience that faithfulness can provide.

chattingatthesky.com

Lord,

You are so very faithful with me.  When my own faith wavers, you lead me to be still, to find strength in you.  When I am impatient and impudent, you hear me out and lead me to deeper understanding.  When I am near-sighted, you help me to see your vision.  When I am out of ideas, you bring new ones out of the uncertainty and into focus.  When I stop my planning and turn to praying, you always provide.

via Pinterest

Help me to be faithful as I follow you.  Help me to trust in my steps as I leave my current path and seek out your better way.  I know my steps will falter.  But I know more truly that you will carry me through my clumsy stumbles and falls.  Thank you for patching the holes in my faith, for making my trust whole.

Lord, switch my focus from the seen to the unseen, from the earthly measures to the heavenly motions.  Be my vision, my faith-filled vision.  Be my understanding.  Be my strength and patience and perseverance.  And when these gifts come slowly, help me to be still and wait for them to catch up with me and guide me.

For faith makes everything fall into place.  When my faith in you is strong, I have hope.  I have peace.  I have joy.  Thank you for these fruits of faith, Lord, for the fruit of your Holy Spirit.  Thank you for taking my hand, for leading me on, and for helping me stand firm in my faith.

Amen.



More motivation for when you need faith...

Lysa TerKeurst always inspires me when I falter.

6 | When Being Still is Hard

Let's be honest.  This being still stuff sounds easy.  But it's not.

Our world is wired to be on the move.  We've trained our brains to be multitaskers.  Sitting still gets a bad couch-potato rap. Being quiet sounds mousy and submissive.  No wonder making time for quiet reflection is a tough habit to build.

Let's re-frame this idea.  If you, like me, sometimes suffer from the bias that stillness is a passive, unproductive practice, take that tainted notion right out of the junk-drawer in your head and chuck in in the dumpster of limited thinking.

Did you do it?  I didn't hear the clanging ka-chunk.

There.  That's better.

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Instead let's think of stillness like the pause a leopard takes before she springs into the hunt.  Like the brilliant mathematician's breath as the last pieces of the solution click into place.  Like the moment of anticipation before the surprise party explodes into existence.  Without the stillness, the conquest, the discovery, the celebration is at risk of never happening.

We need the stillness before God so he can do his deep soul-stirring in us.

Now perhaps this stillness is difficult for reasons beyond the psychological.

gogowomen.com

Perhaps you suffer from physical squirminess.  Some of my greatest moments of spiritual stillness come when I am running. The exertion and endorphins crowd out the clutter in my brain.  I can talk with God with greater freedom and focus.  Give yourself permission to find a mental and soulful place of stillness while your body is in motion.

Does silence suffocate you?  Some of us feel stifled without the stimulation of sound. Try some simple, melodic music as a soft background to your quiet time, something that will bring your thoughts back to God in an unobtrusive way.

Is your "To Do" list tugging at you?  Take a simple chore and perform it in a meditative manner.  Sometimes when I fold the laundry, I pray to God about those who wear the clothes.  I lift up our relationships and ask God to help me see where the stains are, to help me see what needs mending and refreshing.  Our physical tasks can be reminders of ways God wants to work in our lives.

When being still is hard, maybe you are trying too hard.  Try a different perspective. Try a different approach.  Try releasing the work from yourself and lifting it up to God.

winkal.com/share/religion

All we are asked to do is make the space for God to speak.  We do not have to do that perfectly or beautifully.  We do not have to get it right.  We just need to offer up the imperfect invitation for God to enter into our lives with his perfect Spirit.

But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness."  So, I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me.

2 Corinthians 12:9

Dear Lord,

Thank you for your grace.  Thank you for looking upon my difficulties being still with your understanding and forgiveness. Thank you for taking my weakness and filling it with your power and your peace.  

You know that I dearly want to be still and celebrate that you are my God.  When my brain and body and heart make it hard to slow down, to steep in your love, show me your better way.  Help me to make a sacred space for our relationship to grow, so that I may live as you intended, enjoying a life that is full and good.

Amen.



Looking for more inspiration to get through the hard parts?

Diedra Riggs writes about how God showed her he can "transform the everyday into a sacred encounter."

Everyday Tabernacles

Bonnie Gray, via Lysa TerKeurst's blog, writes "Why I'm Breaking Up with Quiet Time" and offers ways to reinvigorate the habit when being still starts to go sour.

Bonnie Gray

What do you do when Being Still is hard?  I'd love to hear your insights.

5 | Be Present

"Be Present" feels like a trending mantra.  At our house, we say it to the kids when they've reached their time limit on their digital devices.  Our kids say it to us when we are plugged in and tuned out.  All around the Internet I'm running into reminders to be mindful.  Engaged.  Thoughtful and attentive in relation to others.  

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It's a common message in Jesus' teachings and his example as well.  He was so aware that he felt a woman touch his robe in hope of healing.  He was so attentive he noticed Zaccheus up in the tree and invited him down.  He was utterly engaged in his ministry, and he wanted the same for his friends.  

When Martha was physically, mentally, and emotionally distracted by her priorities, Jesus brought her back to the moment.

But the Lord answered and said to her, "Martha, Martha, you are worried and bothered about so many things; but only one thing is necessary, for Mary has chosen the good part, which shall not be taken away from her."  Luke 10:41-42

He basically told her to shed the "shoulds" and take the earthly burdens off her shoulders.  Lighten the load and see the Light.  Be present.  Receive the gift of his presence.

"Christ in the House of Mary and Martha" by Vermeer

Of course, this is easier said than done, this being present challenge.  We increasingly live in a world where we are bombarded with information, ideas, and interruptions.  Our brains are trained to jump from one thing to another like puffy little tutu-ed poodles jumping through hoops and running in circles.  This morning, let's send those poodles out in the yard to play, while we set our hearts and minds on Jesus.

Capture & Clear Away the Mental Clutter

Before we even start a little quiet time, take a minute to list the things that are on your mind.  We can capture the "To Do" items and the worries on a physical or digital list, know that they are noted, and clear more bandwidth for truly centering on our Lord.  If other things pop up in your head during your quiet time, just add them to the list and refocus your attention.

Center the Soul

When I jump into quiet time without deliberately shifting my gears, I run into trouble.  I end up approaching Bible reading and prayer the same way I approach my other daily tasks: with a "Get 'er done!" attitude and energy.  So I have to get centered on Christ with a little prayer, borrowed from Isaiah 6:8.

"Here I am, Lord."

Here I am.  I have heard you call me into a moment of stillness with you.  And I gratefully, hungrily accept your invitation. Help me to quiet my mind, my body, my heart and my soul.  Help me to fully rest and rejuvenate in your love and grace.  Here I am, open to your word and your will for this day and every day.

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Catalog this Moment of Creation

You might read the Bible.  Or pray.  Or simply be aware of all that you have in this moment.  

For me, this morning, it's relishing the quiet, pre-dawn house, warm and comfortable and waiting a new day of our family's love and laughter.  It the whirring of this old laptop computer that is on its last legs but mercifully won't quit.  (Hang in there, sweet MacBook, until the budget allows for an upgrade!)  It's the pile of Cub Scout badges waiting to be sewn onto my son's new uniform, the dedication and enthusiasm he pours into this challenge and responsibility.  It's the aromatic reminder of my daughter's chocolate protein shake, last traces etched along the inside of the glass, along with her self-sufficiency in blending a semi-nutritious snack and cleaning up the kitchen afterwards!  It's the distant rumble of my husband's snoring as he sleeps in after a hard week's work and bouts of insomnia.  All these pieces of God's peace are a blessing I want to savor and praise.  

Thank you, Lord, for this exact moment.  Thank you for this gift of seeing things, not as tasks to be done, but as mementos of your gifts.  Thank you for this moment of being present in your peace.  Amen.

Need more reminders to be present with God and not overwhelmed by the daily doings?

I love these monthly calendars with vibrant Bible verses.

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And these messages...

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And isn't this peaceful corner an invitation to be present?

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4 | Be Quiet. Listen.

You probably already are intentional about investing in quiet time with God.  Or you want to be.  For me, quiet time is a work in progress.  I have stretches of daily devotions, then interruptions and hiccups and reboots.  Thankfully there are lots of resources focusing on devotional quiet time and how to build the habit.

But shhhhh...  That's not where I'm going today.  Today I want to talk about another angle of our quiet time.  It's the amount of time we still the voices in our heads and the words flowing off the page and into our brains.  It's about creating an earthly quiet so we can hear our heavenly Father.

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When was the last time you heard the God's whisperings?  Felt the Spirit's nudges?  When was the last time you even heard the silence of a quiet moment?

We can fill our quiet time with God with study and reading and praying and possibly even memorizing.  But we limit our ability to grow in God if we don't leave space to wait and hear from him.

So today, let's practice the art of listening.  It will probably feel weird, just sitting in the quiet, waiting for God's voice.  I don't know about you, but I don't hear God's voice in a clear and booming way.  It's usually a subtle and repeated thing (because I'm kind of slow in the area of discerning God's will).  And so quiet listening can be rather unsatisfying.  But with practice, we can move past that.

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First we pray.

Lord, so often I fill my prayers my words.  Help me to patiently listen for yours.  You know the issues that concern me, the ones where I need your guidance and wisdom.  I know the promises that you have made me.  Show me where and how I can be your eyes, your words, your hands and feet in this corner of the world, in this time.  As I connect with you today, I offer up all that I am to glorify you.  Help me to be still, to wait patiently, to listen carefully, and to hear clearly your plan for me in this day and the days to come.

"Prayer is not a way of making use of God; prayer is a way of offering ourselves to God in order that He should be able to make use of us.  It may be that one of our great faults in prayer is that we talk too much and listen too little.  When prayer is at its highest, we wait in silence for God's voice to us." — William Barclay

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Then we read.

I love this translation from the New American Standard Bible:

"For I know the plans that I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope."  

Jeremiah 29:11

Our heavenly Father has specific plans for us.  God does not want to see us adrift and struggling.  He wants us to come along side him and discuss the roadmap he has planned out for us.  It's the roadmap that will lead us to living fully in his love.

God has a plan for our welfare, our well-being.  He is looking out for us and protecting us.  He is guiding us away from calamity.  What a great word for our stressful seasons. God steers us away from damage, disaster, distress.  He steers us towards a brighter, lighter future and a hope so powerful it can only be found in him.

Thank you, God, for your plans.  Help us to look for them, listen for them, and discern them from the din of our distractions.

Then we sit in quiet.  

Thoughts will wander in.  Recognize and release them, even write them down if that helps to let them go.  Wait for words, phrases, or images that feel God-breathed.  They might not come while you are sitting in quiet.  They might bump into you later in the day.  They might speak to you in church later in the week.  But know that God wants to talk to you, and he will.

I pray that your time of stillness and quiet listening brings you peace and discernment.  May you sense God's presence and guidance in your day.

Inspired to revisit your listening practices?

Read more about listening to God.

All About God

Here's a great TEDtalk about ways to fine tune your listening skills.