He who enters by the door is a Shepherd of the sheep.
The sheep hear His voice, and He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.
(John 10)
The calm before the storm.
I wonder what Jesus’ thoughts were as He walked toward Jerusalem? He must have known that He would be gloriously received by the fickle city. He must have known that within days His biggest fans would turn on Him, that His closest friends would desert Him.
I like to think it was a peaceful walk. A time to reflect, gather courage, talk openly with God… and listen.
Have you ever stood outside before a storm hits? True to cliché, it really can be remarkably calm. The sky grows dark, the wind dies down, all creation goes quiet. You can see, and perhaps more importantly, feel it coming.
In life we have many storms. Our natural tendency is to run for shelter, and when the storm finally hits us, we cower, grow depressed, become grouchy and unpleasant. And perhaps most of all – we worry.
Anxiety smacks us like a gust of wind. What will happen if…? What if this won’t…? What if I can’t…?
Anxiety, worry, apprehension – it all revolves around Self. The problem is we forget the other Person in the room. Someone who can calm the storm. As much as we feel alone, we are never alone. Psalm 46 begins with…
God is our refuge and strength,
A very present help in trouble!
And the psalmist doesn’t stop there. He reminds us that there is no cause for angst…
Therefore we will not fear,
though the earth should change
And though the mountains may slip into the heart of the sea;
Though its waters roar and foam…
He closes up the psalm with a reminder, words from God…
“Be still, and know
that I am God…”
Is a storm on the horizon? Perhaps you stand in one right now. Maybe you find yourself walking toward Jerusalem, willfully walking toward dark clouds – knowing what lies ahead.
Challenge #24: Be still. Listen. God is our refuge. God is our strength. Find 15 minutes of your day to sit still and listen. Find your prayer Corner, walk outside, or just sit in your parked car… be still and listen and pray and know that He is our God. Enjoy the calm.
Jesus eventually arrives in Jerusalem. And the storm hits.
Sunday’s Challenge #25: PALMS
Why is it, in the "busy"ness of my day, there can't be a time when I can sit still and listen for God? I struggle to hear God because I have so much "busy" stuff to do. I long to be able to slow down and smell the roses along the way. Tracie helps me do that, and I am so thankful for her!
ReplyDeleteGod, please help me find more time for You...
I love this challenge! Today, I spent some time in the hammock in the backyard just enjoying the beauty of God's creation, and listening for His voice as I reflected on His word and His plan for the challenges in my life. Storms are coming, and I want to be sure that I take time to know God's will for me before I respond. God, please help me focus first on You, and on Your will for me, before I make plans and decisions.
ReplyDeletei stay up late each night, and tonight i'm going to spend time with god. i'm gonna sing to him, and i'm gonna pray... that sounds really great to me.
ReplyDeleteDylon
ReplyDeleteWhen I'm outsidei take moments when I stop look at his creations and listen to nature.
Anonymous said...
ReplyDeletei enjoy that challenge just to take a moment and listen to God
Faith
(leslie)
ReplyDeletei will be visiting my prayer corner very soon.
I stay up some nights and just pray and read the bible
ReplyDeleteBlake
I sometimes just lay in bed at night and pray, but tonight, on the way to and from babysitting, I decided to listen to some Zoe CD's and I really enjoyed it...not having anybody else in the car but me and GOD.
ReplyDeleteI sometimes just lay in my bed at night and pray. But today, I listened to some Zoe CD's on the way to and from babysitting. I really enjoyed the quiet, layed backedness of it and also the fact that it was just me and GOD in the car.
ReplyDeletei like this one.
ReplyDeleteI sometimes stay awake at night just to think about my plans and about God perfect challenge.
ReplyDeleteThis kind of thing usually happens for me when I'm on the ttrampoline by myself in our backyard. Usually, after a lot of jumping, I lie down in the center of the trampoline and wait for birds to come closer, look at the sky through our trees, and...meditate. I bask in the tinted, verdant light through the leaves of trees. I am utterly at peace. I'll fulfil this challenge tomorrow...
ReplyDeletei actually did this a while ago, but im just now getting to comment on all my challenges i've needed to. i usually stop and listen when i'm thinking too much and just need to chill but for this i went outside and sat on my deck watching my dog and listening to nature.
ReplyDeleteI took some time today and sat on the back deck. The wind was blowing and the air was warm. I talked to God and tried to block other thoughts out of my head. It's really hard to stop my mind from thinking of so many things but I did try. My better time of day is early in the morning. I'm going to do this one again soon. In face I'm going to try to do this at least once a week from now on. Instead of always talking to God...listen for his answers.
ReplyDelete