While teaching a small group Bible study some years ago, I
brought up the idea of including silence as part of a devotional time. The reaction was a little less than favorable. Some of the comments included:
afraid of silence.”
can’t imagine even sitting still for 5 minutes.”
worried that God would ask me to do something I don’t want to do.”
uncomfortable with the quiet.”
concept. It was as if I pushed on a
bruise and they pulled away from me in fear.
#8 Include time to quiet your heart and listen
devotions can easily turn into just another accomplishment. Read my Bible? Check.
Journal? Check. Study?
Check. Worship? Check.
I’ve found it transformational to just sit in silence with my eyes
closed. It prepares my heart to listen
for the Lord throughout the day.
do all the talking and then work to find the all the answers without taking
time to just listen. When we quiet our
hearts to listen to God we are saying, “I am open to you Lord. You are my source.” It is a choice to rest in Him.
sit together in silence and be truly comfortable. We can trust that we are loved, secure and
accepted. We can find this and more in
our relationship with Jesus.
still in the presence of the Lord, and wait patiently for him to act.” Psalm 37:7 (NLT)
noise, the busyness and seemingly never-ending urgency around us. The daily pressures of life can easily
distract us from what truly matters. If
you desire a fulfilling devotional life let me invite you to solitude and
silence. You will experience the
presence of God in a new way.
incorporate time to quiet your heart and listen into your daily life?
NOTE: If you have missed
any of the previous posts in this series you can click here to see the whole
series!
November 8th Joanna and I had the joy of connecting with many of you
through a live webcast about the launch of the new devotional At the Feet of Jesus.
For those of you who were unable to join us you can view it here.
Angela is an
inspirational and educational speaker who teaches the hard truths of God’s Word
in a fun and relevant way. She is also a writing assistant to Joanna Weaver,
author of Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World. Whatever she is doing, she has
a passion to see spiritual growth and an increased sense of purpose in people’s
lives. Angela and her husband Michael graduated from Northwest University in
1997 and have been married for 17 years and have 2 children. They currently live
in Washington State.
You can follow her
on her blog at No Ordinary
Days