“In quietness and confidence shall be your strength.”  Isaiah 30:15b 

Have you ever just sat silent and still for a little while, with quietness wrapped around you like a comforting favorite blanket? If you have, you know the stillness can become a moment that invokes an atmosphere of peace.

How did that happen? Well, the world slowed down because you slowed down. Calm had a chance to breathe.

When I sit still and silent, I close my eyes and breathe deeply this gift of serenity, for just a little while.

Sometimes we all need a little time to truly catch our breath …

Just for a little while, we need quiet, peaceful moments to hear ourselves think the deep thoughts—thoughts that compete for our attention but stay hidden in the shadows, because they have been crowded out by our busyness.

But for a little while savor your deep thoughts and listen to what your heart wants you to hear.

You know the thoughts I’m talking about. Maybe a prayer for someone. Maybe an idea, a dream, a hope you have felt stirring. Maybe letting go of piled-up stress that needs to be exhaled and released. Maybe acknowledging God’s nearness and drawing close to him.

Don’t pick that phone up again. The call can wait. This is a moment for stillness. The innermost part of your heart is trying to tell you something. You need this. From time to time, we all need this. 

We need to give ourselves permission to savor quiet, restful moments.

They will refresh you. They will remind you who you are. You will have a new outlook on life and all that is going on around you.

All you have to do is be still … for a little while.

By Kathy Cheek
Used by Permission

 RELATE READING

When Silence is More Than Being Quiet

Quiet Time with God

Am I Quiet?

The post Savor appeared first on Thoughts About God.

“I have stilled and quieted my soul…” Psalm 131:2

Whether it be the insistent cry of the corporate ladder, the more vocal cry of small children, or the never-ending cry of our loneliness, cacophony surrounds us. However, even the most “type A” personally eventually discovers that the soul, that deep place within, longs – indeed requires – stillness.

I am amazed that the writer of Psalm 131 does not ask for a seminar, retreat or religious “professional” to teach him how to be quiet. He simply says, “I have stilled and quieted my soul…” Did he hide in a cave in the midst of actual battle for moments of spiritual re-arming? Perhaps it was during the daily schedule of unrelenting decision-making as king that he escaped into a quiet side room of the palace?

In our modern world with its press of sound via television, radio, iPods, internet and cell phones, it becomes imperative for the Christian to learn how to “still and quiet” the soul. But this is not a habit that comes naturally; we are attuned to the clock and calendar, somehow wanting instant quietness without effort. Anyone who has suffered through learning to play a musical instrument knows the tendency to skip over those daily and often frustrating practice sessions. In similar fashion, any spiritual practice must also be actually practiced.

The psalmist says that the result of a stilled and quieted soul is the attitude of a small child who leans close to his mother, fully confident in her love, care and protection. There is ultimate and sure blessing ahead for the one who is learning to be still and quieted.

Lord, I am impatient for so many things. I want results without effort, without practice. Not only does my head know that I need quiet, but the core of my being longs for it. Please help me understand and practice the disciplines that will lead to a stilled soul.

By Marilyn Ehle
Used by Permission

FURTHER READING

• Be Still, My Daughter 
• Restores My Soul – A Devotional by Phil Ware
• Silent Adoration – Devotional by Andrew Murray

Homepage for  Devotionals

Follow Us On:  Facebook  • Twitter  •  Instagram  • Pinterest

The post Am I Quiet? appeared first on Thoughts About God.

“Stop!” exclaimed Samuel. “Let me tell you what the LORD said to me last night.”  1 Samuel 15:16

We found it by accident. 

After a brisk winter walk in a park north of New York City, we were ready for a hot cup of tea or coffee. After parking the car, we began walking toward the town center. And there it was, a cozy tea room with small tables, friendly wait staff and quietly conversing customers. The thick menu described hundreds of teas and several appetizing food items. With our selections finally made and the aromatic brews poured, we visibly relaxed. With a plaintive sigh, our daughter asked, ‘Why don’t I stop for this every day?’  She is a high school teacher and her many responsibilities and relationships seem to fill every waking moment.

Time for a cup of tea, or coffee or hot chocolate, may not involve any beverage at all. The importance of the ritual involves stopping. For the follower of Jesus, stopping is crucial, stopping the whirl of activities, stopping the ever-present household or career responsibilities, stopping well-meant ministry. Just stopping. Stopping to hear and drink in the quiet voice of God.

We read that Jesus often left the crowds with their deep physical and spiritual needs to stop. He even stepped away from his disciples to whom He would soon entrust the Kingdom. We must do no less. When will you stop for your cup of tea today?

Prayer: Lord, stopping seems so unproductive! I have been trained to believe that to stop means an interruption in moving forward toward success. Please continue to remind me that I will only hear what the Lord said to me if I stop.

by Marilyn Ehle
used by permission

Related Reading

The Pause that Refreshes 

Reset Button 

Renewed -by Gail Rodgers

The post Stopping for Tea appeared first on Thoughts About God.