Being Still...

"...but the LORD was not in the wind: and after the wind an earthquake; but the LORD was not in the earthquake: And after the earthquake a fire; 

but the LORD was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice." 

I Kings 19:11-12 

I was enjoying a quiet day on the home front. With nothing of much importance on the all-mighty To-Do List, I was able to slow down and be quiet for a few moments longer than usual. It was a gray, cloudy, day with storms forecast for the afternoon hours. Home alone. No noise. No distractions. I was being still. 

I had snuggled onto the couch when I heard it. I'm sure it wasn't really quite as loud as it seemed, yet the little bird seemed to be blasting its song over a megaphone for all practical purposes. In the quiet, stillness of my day, this feathered creature immediately got my attention. And...my world stood still as I enjoyed its sweet song.

I began to wonder how many times we miss important God-whispers because there isn't much quiet, stillness in our days. The more advanced and modernized we become, the quicker we can do things, the more we expect to get done in a single day and the faster we seem to go. Truthfully, we leave very little time in our days in which to set aside for quietness. I mean, how many times have we made or heard the statement "There's not enough time in a day..."? 

The truth is, if God gave us more hours in a day, 

we'd probably still not find time to squeeze 

"being still" into our day.

Sure, God can speak to us as we're zipping full-speed-ahead through our days. He speaks in the loud whirlwind and we might hear Him, but what if He chooses to whisper in the quiet stillness? Will we ever hear His call in our rushed state of mind and being? 

After it quit singing, I continued to sit quietly, thinking about what we might be missing out on? Are we drowning out the voice of God with media? Radio? Television? Games? Cell phones? Pandora? Playlists? Movies? Are we missing His voice because we're busy as a bee, scuttling to and from this event or that extra-curricular activity, working over-time, or running endless errands? 

Are we missing His tug because we're too busy and 

our world is just too noisy? 

I wonder how God must feel when we continually crowd Him out of our days. I know we cannot make time stand still, but I am challenged to do better. I'm challenged to make myself be still somewhere in my day so I can be intentional about listening for His voice. Won't you join me?

Try it for seven days. Let's see what a difference it might make in our lives? What exciting things would we have to share with one another if we took this challenge seriously and made it a lifestyle. Just a side note for others: If we don't answer the phone on the first ring tomorrow or show up on time for the next PTA or staff meeting, we might just be practicing the art of being still - before the King. 

I'll catch up with you later~