Sometimes I just need silence, a quieting of my soul. A restful break beside still waters, a renewing of my mind to be made whole (Ps. 23).
When life gets hectic and my heart is overwhelmed, You make me lie down in the greenest of pastures (Ps. 61 & 23).
There, in the silence, that is where You can be found. In the chirp of the bird, in the rustling of the leaves in the breeze, the breath of God brings life to everything around.
You do not demand rush and hustle, You long for quiet moments of intimate and honest conversation.
You didn’t ask or command that I always run, trying to find You, You asked that I slow down, be still, and know that You are God.
You are my refuge, my strength, my resting place (Ps. 46).
You urge me to make time in the madness of my life to sit at your feet and listen to Your Words (Luke 10:42).
And it is in the stillness of Your Word that I find the strength to survive this scattered world.
The last two weeks have been extremely busy and hectic, stressful and frustrating. For someone like me, who honestly doesn't have a super busy life and likes it that way, times like this really drag down my body, mind, and soul.
In the midst of all this madness, there has also been some big excitement and joy, and I haven't been able to enjoy and celebrate the good things because I have been so overwhelmed by the anxiety and frustration.
I have tried to pray as I go, asking God to please settle my nerves and calm my mind, but the knot in my stomach and pressure in my chest just would not let up as I ran from place to place.
I talked to my husband about it all last night and finally broke down. This is all too much and I am exhausted. And do you know what He said? As the tears poured down my face he hugged me tight and said, You can't do anything about this stuff. And, no matter what happens or how you know that everything is going to work out exactly like God wants it to. You worrying like this isn't going to change anything. You just have to trust God to work everything out.
And just like that, the weight began to slowly lift. So this morning, even though I have a list of at least ten things that I have to do today, I chose to start the day sitting on the back porch in the quiet with God. And as I have prayed and listened, the words written above began to pour out of me.
This world, this life, it is all busy and stressful and oftentimes overwhelming, and I constantly need to be reminded that it is in the silence with God where I find the strength to survive.
That's what this blog is based on, isn't it? Making time in the Madness to Sit at His feet. Choosing Jesus. That's what I'm supposed to be doing before I can ever begin to write about it to you.
Sometimes I just need someone to remind me of my life's goal.
For me, that person is usually my husband, just like this time. Sometimes it's a close friend or family member who knows me well and other times it is a total stranger whose words in a book, a blog, or a sermon realign my course.
If you don't have someone currently in your life to remind you of these truths, can I be that for you right now?
As you sit wherever you are, in the car, on the couch, hiding in the bathroom at work because the tears threaten to spill over at any second, can I just give you a virtual hug and tell you,
You can't and don't have to bear the burdens of the world. You can't do anything about the things that you're worried about anyway. Worrying changes nothing, it only wears on your body, mind, and soul. No matter how much you worry, everything is going to remain in God's hands. And He already knows exactly what is going to happen in every situation. Get alone with God and let Him renew your strength. Let Him breathe life, peace, and rest into you through His word. Let Him give you the strength to enjoy the good things in life. He isn't going to let you go. God is within you, you will not fall.
Published by Bethany Boynton