In the Quiet

When was the last time you let God meet you in the silence?

Maybe you were out of words.  Maybe you were out of ways to fix, to solve, to do it on your own.  Or maybe you were just weary in your body, your heart, your mind.  You didn’t have any fancy prayers to conjure up for Him, so you sat still, waiting with only minimal expectation.

Maybe you lay on the floor, face down, candle burning in the background to offer some sense of presence and scent of comfort.  Maybe you even whispered, “I’ve got nothing, God.  I need to hear from You.”

And maybe He spoke.

In that moment of surrender, maybe He affirmed things He has already said before, like Humble yourself, therefore, under My mighty hand, that I may lift you up in due time.  Cast all your anxiety on Me because I care for you.

In My presence, there is fullness of joy.

Repent therefore, and turn again, that your sins maybe blotted out, that times of refreshing may come from My presence…

And maybe refreshment did indeed come.

God has drawn me lower than my knees more often that not this month.  And while the literal posture of submission isn’t always comfortable, it inevitably reminds my spirit who’s in charge.

And, you know what?  That’s a really good thing.

Because, seriously, how often do we find ourselves praying for things we only sort of believe God cares about or will follow through on?  Or feeling like His attention is better directed elsewhere, that we shouldn’t take up too much of His time?  Or praising Him for being such a great Creator and for saving us from eternal punishment, but not believing in His intimate love for His creation and his ability and desire to save us from anything else?

Most of us have frequently heard of the ACTS (Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication) method of prayer.  And although some may get hung up on whole “formula” sort of approach, I think there’s something to it, and especially to beginning our conversation with the Almighty with adoration and praise. 

Because, really, our view of who God is and how He relates with us directly correlates with how we view every other aspect of life.  Adoration and worship must be a part of our prayers to keep us in perspective. 

Praising God for being sovereign leads us to believe that He sees and orchestrates the bigger picture.  Praising Him for being faithful reminds us He will keep His promises to us.  Praising Him for creating the world affirms that He will sustain our needs. 

Knowing and recounting the works and character of God fan the flame of confidence that He will continue to be exactly whom He has always been.