There’s a quote that I’ve seen several times lately:
Don’t rest from your work, work from your rest.
That could mean a bunch of different things, but when I read it, it speaks to me of this verse:
For thus saith the Lord GOD, the Holy One of Israel; In returning and rest shall ye be saved; in quietness and in confidence shall be your strength (Isaiah 30:15, biblegateway.com)
Returning: to Who? God
Rest: How? in prayer and waiting
Quietness: Why? in order to listen and hear His voice
Confidence: in Whom? if we were capable of doing what we must or surviving the latest trial, we wouldn’t need God. He puts us in positions where we use up our talents or wisdom and can only persevere by our confidence that He will do the work in and through us- and that He will be glorified
What happens next? We are saved and find strength.
Assignment: Pray about the places in life you feel stretched thin or worn out. Ask God about it. Meditate on Isaiah 30:15. What is it saying to you?
Posted by vicki on Sep 27, 2011 in
Listening stuff Ever have a conversation with someone who never lets you get a word in edgewise? (I sometimes wonder how one person can have so much to say?)
Ever feel like that’s how it goes when you talk to God? Just that: YOU talking to God, a one-way conversation?
But how do you listen to an Invisible Person?
I can’t tell you exactly because God doesn’t give formulas, but if you try it, you’ll find out. Listening to Him is the loveliest part of a day!
While I can’t give you a formula for listening to God, I can give you some tips that might help your prayer time become more of a two-way conversation:
1) Start by getting stuff off your chest
The stressors in life are going to be nagging you while you try to listen. God cares about them. Talk to Him about them.
2) Physically quiet yourself
Did you know that the part of your brain that processes spiritual information is near the “watch-out!” parts of your brain? Sometimes we have to physically turn off the brain’s stress centers in order to allow our spiritual processing centers to be attentive. We do this by deep breathing! Oxygen turns off the stress hormones that are activated by the stresses in life. BREATHE, BREATHE, BREATHE…
3) Get your mind on God
Spend a few minutes thinking specifically about God, about Christ. Think about Jesus being the author and finisher of your faith. Think about His sacrifice for you. Think about the throne room of Heaven.
4) Now be quiet
No problem solving, no requests. Breathe and listen. If your mind wanders, direct it back to thoughts of Christ. Mostly be quiet and listen.
What you might hear at first is the crickets chirping outside your window, but eventually, you will start to recognize a still, small Voice. That Voice has been speaking all along. You just needed ears to hear- and practice listening.
5) Be grateful
When God has spoken, be sure to be grateful. Then, WRITE it down! (You WILL forget if you don’t.)
Blessings on you as you listen!
Posted by vicki on Sep 9, 2011 in
Contemplative stuff,
Listening stuff 7 minutes to change my life?
7 daily minutes that is.
I have been reading Robert Wick’s Touching the Holy. Wicks is a counselor who works with clergy. He has noticed something:
When we have lots of responsibility we work harder. When we work harder we often work longer. When we work longer, we often pare down devotional time.
When we pare down devotional time, eventually we begin to burn out.
This is what Wicks has his in-danger-of-burnout clergy do:
1) Spend 2 minutes each morning listening to God
Not talking to God. Instead, being quiet, breathing, then simply listening to see what God has to say.
2) Spend 5 minutes right before bedtime, in a relaxed, comfortable place- reading Scripture.
The last things your brain engages with before sleep, tend to influence your dreams. What a perfect way to improve quality of sleep (and knowledge of God).
Wicks has found that these daily 7 minutes are the tipping point for the positive turn around for the clergy he is helping.
I am big on prayer- much of my prayer is intercessory. Listening to God and meditating on Scripture is different. I’ve added that. It is making me feel more in touch with the One who matters most and who supplies my strength and wisdom.
I betcha this could help many of us!
What do you do to quiet yourself, to rest in the Lord, to know Him better?
