Waiting in Silence

Have you ever played the “quiet game”?  We would try to play the game when our girls were little...but it was just too hard for them to be quiet, or to stay quiet.  From the front seat of the car I would declare it was time to play the quiet game.  No sooner were the words out of my mouth, one girl would begin to giggle, then the other two would follow and that would be the end of the quiet game.  The game never lasted more than a few minutes.  It was always fun to try, but even if the girls declared the game to begin, no one took being quiet too seriously.

I know I have been quiet, in terms of my blog, since the beginning of the year.  It just felt right.  I felt the Lord calling me into His “quiet” and rest.  For someone who loves to be busy and get down to the business of attacking and completing a project, I found it a little disconcerting.   So often it’s easier to be busy with urgent activity than spending quiet moments alone and before I realize it, days had passed since my last quiet time with Jesus.

My mind is always rolling on...so many ideas, projects, plans.  Sometimes my mind can run so far ahead I have to make lists of all the ideas I have floating around in my head or they are soon forgotten with the next best idea.  It’s so easy to run ahead and leave “quiet” behind.  There are so many “good things” I could be doing...but were they “God things”?

As January wore on it seemed right to be still...then February and soon it was March.  By March I felt a little antsy to be about “business” but my daughter sold her house (very sudden) and she, her husband and two children moved in with us while waiting for their “new house.”  Again I got the distinct impression that I was to be silent.

Four additional people in a house does not make for a lot of quiet...especially when one of those new people is a 4 year old!  But, I loved every minute they were here.  I loved having breakfast with the grand kids each morning.  I loved having my daughter here at dinner time...cooking away for all of us (and she’s an excellent cook!)  Even their dog began to grow on me (but NOT on my cat!)

While they were here my son-in-law took over my craft room for his office...so it seemed appropriate that I had no projects in the works or anything pressing me into busyness.  I felt a continued peace about being quiet.  No sewing, no painting, no big projects pressing me to complete.

I sought and found quiet in different and more creative ways while they were here.  I also began to feel God was leading me away (out of) some of the busy work I had been involved in.  It was still felt too easy to be drawn to the “urgent” and to see those busy things as “good”.

Therefore I am now going to allure her; I will lead her into the desert and speak tenderly to her. - Hosea 2:14

I felt as though God had an important message to convey to me but I was so busy He could not get me to hear Him.  Distractions prevented me from giving Him my undivided attention. BUT, God has a way (His way) of taking me aside to get my undivided attention.

God knows the stubborn human heart...my stubborn heart. He knows that if He is to accomplish His deepest work, He must take me into the desert in order to give me the quiet I need to be able to hear His voice. In the desert God changes me and removes things that hinder me. The quiet forces me to lean into Him and draw deep upon His grace. The desert is only a season in my life. When He has accomplished what He wants in my life in the desert, He will bring me out. He has given me a mission to fulfill that can only be fulfilled after I have spent adequate time in preparation in the desert. I no longer fear the desert, for it is here I will hear God's voice like never before.

Jesus also knew how important quiet moments were with the Father.

 "After He had dismissed them, He went up on a mountainside by Himself to pray. When evening came, He was there alone" (Mt. 14:23).

The more time I spend with the Lord, the more precious this time becomes to me. These are the moments I look forward to almost daily. These quiet moments offer me a time to reflect, to share my concerns with my Lord, and to listen for His voice and hear Him speak to me.  I know that Jesus views me as His friend and He wants to spend time with me. I am depriving Him of His time when I put Him aside for the urgent.  But...when I make quiet time with Him a priority: Urgent things seem to fade as I focus on Him. He makes all these other things fall into place.

These days, I am ready to be involved in new projects and see where they might lead me.  I am excited to be blogging again. I am still involved in some great work serving my community with my job and I am searching for where new opportunities might be for service...waiting on Him, His direction...waiting in quiet.

Till tomorrow...