The other day I sat down to pray. I really needed to hear from God. Just a reassurance that He was aware of what was going on. I knew He did, but I just wanted to doublecheck, you know?
So I sat on my hand-me-down ottoman, in front of a window, put my Bible in my lap and began.
And began again. And again.
When I started feeling like Bill Murray in "Groundhog Day," I figured I needed a time out (but since I hadn't actually started anything yet, I wasn't sure if it was a "time out" or a "time in"). At any rate, I quickly realized what my problem was. My head wouldn't quit working. I couldn't quiet myself enough to hear that still, small voice I was searching for.
I like to think this happens to a lot of women. If it doesn't, don't tell me, just let me pretend. But in this world, with everything moving so fast and demanding our attention, sometimes it is hard to sit quietly and connect with God. In my case, I was so wound up that I needed a full thirty minutes to decompress. At other times, we may be separated because of a guilty conscience, or even because subconsciously we don't want to hear Him. Whatever the reason, there will be times when it is harder to enter His presence and enjoy the peace that goes beyond understanding.
During these times we have a couple options, we can walk away or we can wait. Speaking from experience, I encourage you to wait. Psalm 27:14 says, "Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart;" and Psalm 37:7, "Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him." Several other verses urge us to wait on the Lord, because He does hear us and He is with us. In my case, I think He was just waiting until I gave Him my complete attention.
It's not wrong to have lots of things in our heads or in our hearts, but if we walk away too quickly, we miss out on the blessing of God's presence in our life. So take some time with God today. Keep at it until you've experienced that peace that only He brings. I promise you won't regret the opportunity.
So I sat on my hand-me-down ottoman, in front of a window, put my Bible in my lap and began.
And began again. And again.
When I started feeling like Bill Murray in "Groundhog Day," I figured I needed a time out (but since I hadn't actually started anything yet, I wasn't sure if it was a "time out" or a "time in"). At any rate, I quickly realized what my problem was. My head wouldn't quit working. I couldn't quiet myself enough to hear that still, small voice I was searching for.
I like to think this happens to a lot of women. If it doesn't, don't tell me, just let me pretend. But in this world, with everything moving so fast and demanding our attention, sometimes it is hard to sit quietly and connect with God. In my case, I was so wound up that I needed a full thirty minutes to decompress. At other times, we may be separated because of a guilty conscience, or even because subconsciously we don't want to hear Him. Whatever the reason, there will be times when it is harder to enter His presence and enjoy the peace that goes beyond understanding.
During these times we have a couple options, we can walk away or we can wait. Speaking from experience, I encourage you to wait. Psalm 27:14 says, "Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart;" and Psalm 37:7, "Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him." Several other verses urge us to wait on the Lord, because He does hear us and He is with us. In my case, I think He was just waiting until I gave Him my complete attention.
It's not wrong to have lots of things in our heads or in our hearts, but if we walk away too quickly, we miss out on the blessing of God's presence in our life. So take some time with God today. Keep at it until you've experienced that peace that only He brings. I promise you won't regret the opportunity.
1 comment:
Great reminder. I needed that!!
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