Quiet Places
"In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength..." (Isaiah 30:15)
The busiest season of the year is upon us - that chunk of calendar between Thanksgiving and Christmas - when the festivities, the gift-giving, the parties, the hustle-bustle and, oh, the yummy food all pile up into one big pile of "busy!"
Even the sacrifice of time and service we often offer during this season contributes to the craziness, albeit precious and valuable offerings. And while this is easily my favorite time of the year, it can also be the time that leaves me feeling most empty and drained, if I do not seize the opportunity to slow down, absorb, and revel in the miracle of that tender night in Bethlehem.
Most of the world failed to notice the arrival of the King of kings that Holy eve, and I do not want to be guilty of the same.
I led worship at a retreat called Quiet Places this last weekend, up in beautiful Estes Park. To be honest, I went into the weekend completely exhausted. I needed quiet, yes...but what I really wanted was the quiet place of a soft pillow and a bed in which to sleep! So spiritual, huh? But the Lord knew how weary I was, and I asked Him for His help and to meet me.
"Meet me in my weakness, Lord, with Your power..." I prayed.
I was expectant that He would provide strength, but I did not expect the gift I actually received. Through a combination of the teaching, which was God-breathed, and times of worship, along with some sweet and precious times of solitude I spent with the Lord, I discovered a part of me that must've been laying dormant for some time.
It was this child-like part of me that truly believed that God wants to meet with me just as eagerly as I want to meet with Him. He wants to be found by me, as much as I desperately want to find and hear from Him.
Now, I've known this in my head, but somewhere along the way, I lost this knowing in my heart and spirit. I think a part of me had wilted, and my expectations had faded.
"Yet the Lord longs to be gracious to you, He rises to show you compassion...blessed are all who wait for Him." (Isaiah 30: 18)
As the weekend and the last few days have unfolded, He has revealed Himself in so many wonderful ways. And it's true! God longs to pour out all the riches of Himself upon us. It brings Him great joy! He longs to hear the cries of our hearts and to shower us with the rain of His presence. He desires to encompass us with all of Himself, and it makes His heart full when we bask in the warmth of His love and receive the gift of Him each day.
He longs to lavish His love upon us! Do we really believe that? Really? Or have our disappointments caused us to expect less of God than He longs to give us?
Whether or not we believe it or feel it, God longs to meet with us every single day. And not just once for a few “devotional” minutes. He longs to permeate our moments. It is possible for His thoughts to so fill us that our mind and heart are truly set on things above, not making us less effective at our earthly tasks, but more.
So, as we enter this busy, busy season, will you join me in making space to discover Him, or rediscover Him? It will look different for each one of us, but if we make quietness, trust, and rest in Him our heart's cry, we will be transformed. We will be made strong again. And we will be filled with wonder...
Will you join me?
