Those that have been a part of my life, especially in the past 20+ years, have seen me pour many hours into my job at the church. Particularly at the end of 1996, I had so much going on that my dear friend, Carol prayed for patience for me. Innocent enough prayer we thought of at the time. But then in January of 1997, I got the chicken pox! As an adult, it landed me straight in bed! Then I passed the chicken pox onto my 3 year old daughter, Kiana! Being contagious and ill kept us home for about 6 weeks. Most of the time I was so weak that being still was all I could muster! Kiana seems to be pretty normal, just covered in spots!
Being home for that long was difficult for me. I initially spent more of the first part of my illness worried about the work that was not getting done. I did end up “spoiling the quiet hours by wishing them away, waiting impatiently to be active again.” But as time marched on, I eventually realized that God was trying to teach me some sort of lesson. My first thought was we should never pray for patience! But, the chicken pox episode did help me to wake up to the fact that I was too busy. It wasn’t hard to forget that message as it took me over a year to fully recover. I had no choice but to slow down. But within the 10 years that followed I found myself back in the midst of a busy life. It wasn’t until October of 2007 that the truth of the devotion today made sense. Not only are we to be still before Him...we are to be still and know He is God. How do we do that? By LISTENING. The day I quit my job on October 16, 2007, I had no option but to be still. I felt cut off from the world and totally alone. But in this quietness and stillness, it did “enhance my awareness of His Presence within me.” I felt weaker in that moment than I did with the chicken pox. Yet from that I have learned how much I value the quiet and the peace that He gives me when I am still before Him.
I did not plan the stillness I experienced in the physical illness of chicken pox. Neither did I plan the stillness of the devastation that followed my leaving my job. Yet because of lessons learned during those times of weakness, I find myself craving that stillness each day as it is the only thing that gave me true strength. My life is different now because I PLAN out stillness with Him instead of being forced into it through difficulties.
In looking up a photo to add to the blog, I found this quote from John Piper about GOD hits home in the stillness.
Posted: February 24, 2011 by Pam Larson in Devotionals/Commentaries,
"Psalm 46 tells us that we all have a need to slow down and just “be still.” We need time for quiet reflection, but oh how little we actually do just that. John Piper, in a 1991 sermon, “God: Refuge for His People, Exalted Among the Nations” explains:
One of the reasons we invest our lives in some insignificant ways is that we never become still enough to let the great realities hit us. We are always on the move. Always in a hurry. Or when we do stop, we flip on the radio or the TV and let somebody else’s hurry fill our minds. Psalm 46:10 says, “Be still [or cease striving, cease hurrying, be still, be quiet] and know that I am God. I am [or: will be, it’s probably a promise] exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!”
In looking up a photo to add to the blog, I found this quote from John Piper about GOD hits home in the stillness.
Posted: February 24, 2011 by Pam Larson in Devotionals/Commentaries,
"Psalm 46 tells us that we all have a need to slow down and just “be still.” We need time for quiet reflection, but oh how little we actually do just that. John Piper, in a 1991 sermon, “God: Refuge for His People, Exalted Among the Nations” explains:
One of the reasons we invest our lives in some insignificant ways is that we never become still enough to let the great realities hit us. We are always on the move. Always in a hurry. Or when we do stop, we flip on the radio or the TV and let somebody else’s hurry fill our minds. Psalm 46:10 says, “Be still [or cease striving, cease hurrying, be still, be quiet] and know that I am God. I am [or: will be, it’s probably a promise] exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!”
Let's be still before Him today and watch what only He can do!
mama eydie!
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