A quiet time with Jesus is my favorite part of the day. No phones are ringing, no TV blaring. No one pulling on my sleeve. The house is still and I am still with it. Normally, I rush from one appointment to another. I think I get an adrenalin boost from a packed schedule. Life is activity, right? But along with the adrenalin rush comes a whole lot of distractions. My mind keeps in step with my hectic plans and it's not easy to slow down. Living in the fast lane gets in the way. When I finally wind down, it's easier to turn on the TV or plug into the computer than face the quiet alone.
But it's only when I'm still that I can give God my full attention. One of my favorite writers once said, "We must individually hear Him speaking to the heart. When every other voice is hushed and in quietness we wait before Him, the silence of the soul makes more distinct the voice of God" (Counsels on Health, pg. 163).
I have a lovely clock in our family room that's made from a shell from the Philippines. It makes a soft, ticking sound when I'm sitting there alone. But I can't hear it when the sirens screech or even when everyone's home and talking all at once. Only when the noise dies down can I hear its gentle ticking. How often it reminds me of Jesus! His voice is the ticking of a clock--quiet, but always there.
Each time I pass by that clock, I hear the lessons of my Quiet Time. The biggest lesson of all is I am here TO BE. Jesus has a work for me to do, but my biggest work is TO BE with Christ and be consecrated to Him. So I'm learning to slow down and quietly wait before Him. For "in returning and rest you shall be saved; in quietness and confidence shall be your strength" (Isaiah 30:15).
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