“He says, “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth.” Psalm 46:10 (NIV)
We’ve been talking about truths God has taught me from the life group I had a chance to co-lead this spring. Today I want to share about how to sit in silence with our Father.
Most people now-a-days are forced to learn the art of multitasking. We feel if we don’t, we won’t get everything done that needs to be done in a timely manner. However, what if I challenged us today to do something that would seem to sabotage our productivity? I’ve learned that success God’s way usually seems contradictory to the world’s best advice.
What if I challenged us, when life gets overwhelming, before starting to work harder, we sit in silence with God first? What if I take that challenge even further? What if I suggested that even before life gets crazy, we learn how to regularly sit silently with our Father?
What, you may be asking, does that even look like? Sitting in silence means spending time with God. Getting quiet, initiating conversation and then, as you would with friends or family, sitting and waiting for a response. Not checking email while waiting for God’s answer, not surfing Facebook, not writing out your “to do” list – but sitting quietly, maybe with your favorite cup of coffee or tea, and listening, really listening for God to speak.
Sometimes He will answer with a Bible verse that speaks to your situation, sometimes He will answer with a feeling of peace, joy, or hope. Sometimes He won’t answer right away and wants us to “press in harder” which basically just means having more frequent and deeper conversations with Him until He gives an answer.
I find, for myself, when I choose to sit quietly with my Father on a regular basis, sometimes more often when life gets hard, the “hard” doesn’t seem as hard. God has miraculously answered at times by dealing with the trial for me and sometimes removing it or lessening it – always leading me through it. He replaces my panic with peace, my stress with joy and my hectic schedule with windows of opportunity.
Sitting quietly with my Father is a skill I’ve needed to learn, but it’s been so worth it. I want to encourage you to give it a try yourself. God wants to have a deep relationship with us. I guarantee if you share with God your true desire to grow a relationship with Him, He will meet you where you are and take you deeper than you think is possible.
#Sittinginsilence #SitquietlywithGod #SpokenfromtheHeart
© Cheri Swalwell 2018