My soul quietly waits for the
True God alone; my salvation comes from Him. Psalm
62.1
I
confess, I am rarely quiet. It is go,
go, go. Do, do, do. And at the end of the day, it’s difficult to
turn off my brain and rest. I find it easy
to take refuge in all I’ve accomplished and ignore the unsettled, restless
feelings in my heart. Focusing on the
doing, rather than the being.
Someone
once told me, we aren’t human-doings, we’re human-beings.
How
true this is and yet how uncomfortable we find “being” to be.
When
am I ever “soul quiet”?
We’re
fixers . . .
We don't need a Savior because we are our own savior. We
need money, we take out a loan. We no
longer feel in love with our spouse so we dump them for a newer model. Our child is struggling with a teacher, we
move them to a different class. Our
in-laws are driving us crazy, we cut them out of the picture. We read self-help books, see counselor after
counselor, and take matters into our own hands.
Waiting
is for those who are lazy. Waiting
wastes time. Waiting never solves
anything.
We
don’t need a Rescuer because we are our own rescuer.
It’s
easy to rationalize away this call for soul quiet waiting.
Soul
quiet is hard. Soul quiet takes precious
time. Soul quiet takes perseverance and
intentionality.
Soul quiet causes us to
let go of the list and focus on the being. Soul quiet forces us to be still. Soul quiet brings us face to face with who we are deep down inside.
We
will never pursue this life accidentally.
The voices of this world shout loud and long and unless we choose to
remove our self from their continual barrage we will never learn to listen to
the whispers of our Savior.
Years
ago I learned a soul quiet practice called “Contemplative Prayer”, also
known as Lectio Divina (Sacred Reading).
I have found it to be a wonderful way of helping me learn to quiet my
soul and wait on God.
Here’s
how it works:
*Read
aloud the passage of Scripture (should be only 2-3 verses). Listen to the words and be still for 1-2
minutes.
*Read
aloud again and Reflect for another 1-2 minutes: What in this passage touches my life today?
*Write
down what God has spoken to you through His Word.
I encourage you today to take Philippians 4.6-7 and begin your soul quiet practice.
God
is calling all of us to the soul quiet way of living. Resting in His presence. Waiting on Him to rescue us. Quieting our hearts before Him.
It’s the way of Peace even when our worlds
are turned upside down. It’s the way of
Joy even when there is tremendous pain.
It is the path of Life for those who choose to walk its way.
