Thursday, January 24, 2013

Being Still

Silence does not beckon me.  Even at my age, it is still loud and uncomfortable some of the time.  I like to fill the sounds of silence with the TV, the radio, my playlist......my voice.  Clutter.  I am not so good at being alone in the quiet.

Coming before the Lord I find I want to do the same.  I give thanks, I give glory, I give God my shopping list.  But to sit quietly............be still............and just be warmed by His presence............giving Him my gift of silence and a listening ear.........that is difficult and takes effort.

In order to have an intimate relationship with my Lord Jesus, I need to be able to listen and respond.  Talk and listen.  Back and forth.  When I talk to my husband, our ability to communicate and know each other on a deeper level takes time and comes from a place of love.  It really is no different with our Father/God.  Out of a place of love we come together without the clutter to communicate.

We desire to know God on a deeper level, so embracing the silence is essential.  Eliminating the clutter in our minds and our surroundings bring us before God to await His presence.  Our Lord knows the blessings that come from being still, that is why He commands us to do so.  Being still.............knowing that He is God.  Knowing He is the I AM. 

"Be still and know that I am God."
Isaiah 46:10
 
 
 
 
I am linking up with Bonnie over at Faith Barista. 
How do you embrace silence?
 
 

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

I like the way you linked noise with clutter. Thank you. God bless you!

Turquoise Gates said...

I really struggled with being still before the Lord until I went through a horrible bout of depression and learned Yoga as a way to cope. This led to learning to meditate (not in the New Age sense, but just to empty my mind and still it). Since then, I have had the most amazing times of God talking TO me during my silence. Just my two cents - but practicing meditation - being still physically for a set time like 20 minutes or so, and trying to keep your mind quiet - has unlocked that "Be still and know that I am God" action for me.

Melissa said...

So true. We are on the same page today, I think. :)

Rachael said...

Being still and decluttering seem like such oxymorons, but I know that the only way to declutter my heart and mind is to be still before the Lord. Thank you for your words.

NanaNor's said...

Great Post Renee! Thanks for reminding us today; have a great evening.
Hugs, Noreen

Rebecca said...

I hadn't thought of my everyday busyness as clutter, but that is so true--I do tend to find things to fill the time so that I'm not sitting in the stillness. Thank you for this reminder to actually "be still." :)

Bonnie Gray said...

Silence is a spiritual adventure, because we don't know where it will take us. Thanks for sharing your thoughts in the faith jam, Renee - and welcome!

Kim Fernando said...

"In order to have an intimate relationship with my Lord Jesus, I need to be able to listen and respond." This is so convicting. How often do I talk to Him without first taking the time to listen and respond? Maybe that's why He has to hit me over the head from so many angles with a message. As always, I'm loving being on this faith journey with partners like you.