I Heard Him in the Stillness

I don't know about you, but I hear God in stillness.

Maybe it is because I have spent most of my life with noise,

so to hear God, I go somewhere alone--

and quiet.

 

Maybe others live in silence and quiet with lonely jobs, 

or homes without children or sometimes even without a spouse,

or after their nests have emptied,

so perhaps such people enjoy a Sunday service full of emotion and loud music and din of whatever sort.

Maybe others find God in the trumpets and pipe organs

the beat and the drums,

or the clanging of cymbals.

But two Sunday mornings ago, it was when the piano and organ hushed after the singing of Christmas carols,

that I heard Him. 

Don't get me wrong. I love music, and I love when the congregational hymns

or someone's song touches my heart to tears.

I love the style of organ and piano that has been played at our church all the time we've been there.

And the singing at our church is great!

But that Sunday there was a sudden moment of hush.

Just a couple seconds actually, and in that hush, I sensed Him.

I wished the moment had been longer.

In seconds, the sense disappeared.

It seemed so fragile--that sense of God in the hush of stillness.

Jesus, what do You think about a heart that is in a place that hears You in the stillness instead of the noise?

Is that okay with you? 

God, is it okay that I'm different--that I long for those tender hushes when I start to hear Your voice

and sense Your presence?

"Be still and know that I am God." Psalm 46

Yes, it's okay to hear Him in the stillness.

It's okay to be different.

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Here is something by Kristi Watts, that spoke to me yesterday in a few of those quiet moments when I crashed in front of the screen and looked up a favorite blog.

"So many things come out of our trials and tribulations.

We learn things about ourselves that we were most likely unaware of, including things we are capable of, driven by, and get tripped up on. All things that God reveals to us so we can go to Him for help.

It’s often in the difficult times that we realize we have nothing without the presence and power of God.

More often than not, what we discover are mind-sets, perspectives, and behavior patterns that have been stumbling blocks, preventing us from obtaining all God’s promises for our lives.

God’s heart is for us to see them and repent of them, so we can become free of them.

When we feel as if life is falling apart and our issues begin to bubble to the surface, God wants to draw our attention back to Him.

Regardless of what sends us into the presence of God, though, it’s important to get into His presence and learn what it is to praise Him in the midst of our pain."--Kristi Watts

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And here are a few links to some thoughts from another of my favorite blogs by a transparent pastor's wife. I look her blog up every once in a while, and I've clipped these links in the last few months to share on my blog.

http://www.christyfitzwater.com/bible/three-ways-you-can-prepare-for-relationship-success/

http://www.christyfitzwater.com/spiritual-gifts/do-your-thing/ 

http://www.christyfitzwater.com/knowing-god/god-loves-the-blubbering-woman/