The Art of Being Still

Each month as I pack up my stuff yet again, and I reflect on all that God has done during the month, I try to summarize it in a word or two. However, this month God gave me my words after waking from a nap 3 days after arriving at our location in Romania.

Be still.

This month, my team along with two other teams, are in a very remote village in Romania. While we have beds, warm showers, electricity, and heat, we are also very isolated. The contrast to India is mind blowing. There is a stillness and calm that rest over these hills that is a nice reprieve from the past six months. I have experienced almost constant change, constant noise, and constant community, and I have begun to experience more and more difficulty quieting my mind and just resting in God’s presence.

Of course when we enter into a place that makes it difficult to be with the Lord he usually intervenes and brings us back. That is exactly what he is inviting me to do this month: be still and rest.

Ok well, actually he’s been inviting me to this since month five but India was very busy and loud.

Quote from Charles Stanley

Living closely with at least six other people takes a toll on you if you don't take time for youself. We can read in the Gospels, throughout Jesus’ ministry, he took time to withdraw from the crowds and from his disciples often. We see that in the Gospels that He was always running to boats and mountains to pray and spend time with the Father because ministry – and let's be honest – life in general can be incredibly draining and overwhelming.

A lot of us have chosen certain spiritual disciplines to really work on, like prayer, fasting, tithing, and service, but a lot of us have completely ignored the disciplines of resting. Resting is much more than sleeping. Quieting our minds so that we can more clearly hear the voice of God is pertinent to living a life of obedience. 

In Elijah’s experience, it was in the still and quiet moment that God’s presence was found. I heard once that God prefers to whisper to his kids because that means we must be close to him to hear it. Elijah's experience with God’s gentle whisper brought about a fresh, new perspective and as God’s kids we need that too, and often!

God speaks to us, but how often have I allowed the noise of life to drown out his voice? Fundraising, Facebook, emails, friends, activities, small groups, sports, news, education, bible studies, and entertainment fill my days from the moment my eyes open each morning to the moment I put in my ear plugs and eye mask on at night. (I am on the race remember.) Without spending time quieting my mind before the Lord, how do I expect to hear him?

I want God’s voice to be so intertwined in my day that I am so longer surprised by it. A devotional book I got at Christmas says: