‘Stillness’ could be defined as the art and discipline of
being with God. It is the act of intentionally listening to what God has to
say, receiving His affection, soaking in His presence…and sharing your
heart/thoughts back to Him in turn.
If we want to have a more meaningful relationship with God,
we need to embrace stillness on a daily basis.
Here are 2 things that you can do to encourage stillness each day:
1.) Expect God to reveal
His heart in "atypical" places.
If we
keep a constant look-out for the Lord, we’ll soon find that He delights in
surprising us by showing His heart and His desire for us in odd and/or unexpected places.
Whether
you’re reading a book (or manga), watching tv/movies (or anime), or listening
to music, there is an opportunity to experience Who God is. Don’t miss out by
failing to be attentive! Expect His presence, and ask Him to reveal Himself and
teach you more about Who He is.
I’ve
recently been having a hard time with running into darker subjects in my
poetry…and I’ve found that many times the darker stuff will surface from pain.
Welp, I was riding in the car on the way back from church trying to think about
something to write and that nagging feeling of discomfort that would soon give
way to pain crept under my skin. Suddenly the Lord said to me, “One day you
will write from joy rather than from pain.”
I
didn’t really know how to respond to this, but a split-second later I was
reminded of Zuko from Avatar: The Last Airbender.
Throughout
the majority of the series, Zuko’s convinced that anger is the driving force
behind his ability to firebend…and when he eventually loses that anger, he
finds that he can’t firebend anymore. In order to gain it back, he travels with
Aang to a sun village, where he finds that firebending’s true expression isn’t
rooted in anger at all. It’s rooted in joy, peace, and love. After the trip,
Zuko’s firebending is not only back, but it’s better than ever. No more angry
Zuko!
The
message for me: joy will come, and my poetry will come from the wellspring of
God’s joy rather than anger or bitterness or pain, just like for Zuko with his firebending.
God
works in mysterious ways ;)
2.) Set up signs/markers
as reminders to seek God.
When
things get hectic in daily life—which seems like almost always :/—our
priorities can become so convoluted we forget what’s really important. The end
result is often this: Instead of serving God and following His agenda, we are
serving ourselves and following an agenda of our own making, trying to occupy a
place in our hearts that isn’t rightfully ours.
Paul
mentions in I Corinthians that we “were bought at a price” (6:20, 7:23), and
that the life we now live is not our own, but Christ’s, for He lives in us
(Galatians 2:20). Everything that we do, think, and say should be for the
purpose of glorifying God and allowing Him to glorify Himself in us (I
Corinthians 10:31). If we aren’t readily seeking Him out and listening to Him, this
isn’t going to happen. :(
One way
to listen: set up markers/signs! We can avoid KO status via wrong priorities by
setting up markers throughout the day that remind us why we are here and Who we
are living for.
If you
do a lot of driving, a good marker might look something like this: every 50-100
miles driven is your cue to take a moment or two to thank and praise God for
His providence. Or every time you see an IHOP, Wal-mart, or McD’s, spend a
moment of quiet with God (read a Psalm, meditate on that verse you’re trying to
glean more understanding out of, thank Him for a friend and pray for said
friend…).
Be
creative! Come up with daily markers to re-orient your focus while at work,
school, on the road or at home, etc.
The Lord calls us to be still, and know that He is God
(Psalm 46:10). Accept His embrace today by taking the time to be with Him and
Him only. Drink deeply, and be filled!
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