Whispers In The Stillness

WHISPERS IN THE STILLNESS

“On the Sabbath we went outside the city gate to the river, where we expected to find a place of prayer. We sat down and began to speak to the women who had gathered there.” – Acts 16:13

CONFESSION: I’m a recovering workaholic. For a large part of my adult life I wore the badge of “workaholic” with pride. My paternal grandparents had made their way here by boat, first stepping foot onto American soil on Ellis Island in New York Harbor. Coming from the steep mountainsides of Madeira Island, Portuguese was their native tongue and the new landscape was foreign.

With the mixture of a language barrier and eventual religious differences with their community, my grandparents instilled many traits into their children and grandchildren in an attempt to ensure our survival. Some traits, like that of a strong work ethic, had a good side to them. While others, such as working excessively due to fear, did not. 

I’m grateful for having had a strong work ethic instilled in me, but like so many things in life, what is not given a boundary often becomes out of control. 

It was common for me to work 60 hours or more per week. And I am embarrassed to say, that at one point it had been 13 years since I had had a vacation. The drive of my grandparents to make a better life for their family, became an obsession for subsequent generations that was fueled by fear of not having enough and going without.  

We learn some character traits by watching the actions of people and others by listening.  I remember hearing about the Ten Commandments in Sunday school as a child.  In the years after that, I took pride in thinking I was doing well at keeping so many of them, although in retrospect the deeper meanings of many of the Commandments eluded me for decades.  There was one commandment, in particular, with which I admittedly struggled—remembering the Sabbath Day to keep it holy.

Stay with me now.  While in Christianity we believe that Jesus is the Lord of the Sabbath and His blood covers every sin, the principles in the Ten Commandments are still wisdom. Through the death and resurrection of Jesus, we no longer need to fear eternal separation from God as the penalty for our sin.  We are under the New Covenant. We obey out of love, not out of fear of punishment. What remains in the Commandments for us to glean is blessing for those who choose to follow the wisdom they offer. 

Thinking back, I wonder how many times I have prayed long and hard for answers from God.  I prayed hard, worked hard and served the Lord’s church even harder.  It wasn’t uncommon for me to fast from food and turn off extracurricular voices that regularly had my attention.  There is nothing inherently wrong with any of that.  While His Spirit would often impress my heart with wisdom to share with others from the Word, far too often His voice was silent on the issues that were so heavy on my heart.

God is sovereign.  He speaks when He will.   I have come to realize that no amount of service or works on my part can manipulate Him to speak when it is out of season. But I have also come to know, that I can have a hand in my ability to discern His will and sense His presence.  Sometimes my works, and the things I have done in an attempt to garner His favor, have been the very same things that have kept me from hearing Him, when they are done to the exclusion of resting in His presence.

My late husband’s favorite verse was Psalm 46:10.  It simply says, “Be still and know that I am God.” We are instructed to be still.  In the original language, “still” means to not only stop fidgeting, but also to let go and allow ourselves to grow slack—to relax our minds and bodies. Further, it means to allow ourselves to become weak before Him.  

We know from 2 Corinthians 12:9 that His strength is made perfect in our weakness. In most circumstances we tend to view this verse by way of our perception about our brokenness and frailties.  But I assert that this verse also relates to our voluntary weakness—the times in our capability that we voluntarily abandon our striving and we allow the tension in our bodies to ease and our feverish thoughts to grow silent.  It is then that we invite the power of God to be made manifest in our lives.

As mature Christians we are called to serve within the Body of Christ (Gal 5:13) as well as the communities in which we live. But there are times that in our eagerness and, dare I say, hubris, that our motivation to serve changes from holy to unholy.  And our service unto the Lord is replaced with actually serving ourselves, as we serve to ensure our status and provision, becoming “god’s” as unto ourselves, as we place our trust in the foolishness of our own wisdom and strength.

Beloved, catch it!  It is only when our unsanctified striving falls away and we rest fully in Him, that we truly invite the power of God.  It’s only when we release our grasp on our works and our lips fall silent before Him, that we can hear His whisper in the stillness.

Every week we receive an offer—a personalized invitation, engraved on nail-scarred hands—to come and rest. We are invited to equally bring our brokenness and strength before Him — to come and rest, both with and in Him, not merely for a moment or 90-minute church service, but for the day.  He invites us into the secret place where we may receive healing, fresh joy and come to understand the deeper things of the mind of Christ that are reserved for the few who care to linger in His presence.

Father, together with Your child who is reading this, we come before You. We may know how to sleep, but we don’t know how to truly rest. Show us how to allow ourselves to grow slack in Your presence, cease from our labor and release our grip on our capabilities. Teach us how to be still and linger, to both come to know Your power at work in our weakness, as well as to know that YOU are God and WE are not.  Forgive us for trusting in our own wisdom and strength, and for lengthily embracing the honor and glory for our works, when the very gifts with which we do them, are in themselves, gifts from You (James 1:17).  

As in Acts 16:13, when the disciples spoke with the women who had gathered and were resting on the Sabbath, we ask for a visitation of Your Holy Spirit, as we purpose to rest in You. Our hearts have questions, Father.  We long for Your wisdom. Speak to us, Lord.  Your servants are listening (1 Samuel 3:10).  We choose to rest in honor of the Sabbath.  And we wait for Your whispers in the stillness.  In Jesus’ Name ❤️

Dear Friend, are you struggling to hear Him?  Are your ears straining to hear His voice? There are seasons when we are tested and the very things we have been taught are evaluated to see if we have only head knowledge, or a working knowledge. Much like in school, during tests, the teacher is silent. There are other times we are unable to hear Him, because we are so anxious to hear Him and to control our circumstances, that we don’t trust Him enough to stop long enough to hear.  The Father invites you to come and find rest for your weariness and anxiety. You don’t need an appointment. Come regularly into His presence.  Be still. Linger and listen. 💡

If you have been encouraged or challenged, please repost and further His kingdom!