Soothing Sound

I sit in my backyard listening to the sound of the spa in the pool, a little waterfall sending off it's water-music.

What is it about the sound of gently moving water that we find so soothing? True, the sound I listen to now is artificially made, not the natural course of water flow. But it soothes nonetheless.

There must be something of the voice of the divine Creator in a gentle moving body of water, something that calls us to listen. Something that quiets us, calms our heart, rests our soul.

Or at least it does mine.

Do yourself a big favor today before the Sun goes down.

Listen intently to some gently moving water.

How Still His Voice

Then he came there to a cave and lodged there; and behold, the word of the LORD came to him, and He said to him, "What are you doing here, Elijah?" He said, "I have been very zealous for the LORD, the God of hosts; for the sons of Israel have forsaken Your covenant, torn down Your altars and killed Your prophets with the sword And I alone am left; and they seek my life, to take it away." So He said, "Go forth and stand on the mountain before the LORD " And behold, the LORD was passing by! And a great and strong wind was rending the mountains and breaking in pieces the rocks before the LORD; but the LORD was not in the wind. And after the wind an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire; and after the fire a sound of a gentle blowing. When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood in the entrance of the cave And behold, a voice came to him and said, "What are you doing here, Elijah?"
1 Kings 19:9-13 (NASB)

I love this passage as it summarizes for me a struggle I often have. Listening for and hearing the voice of God. Yes, when I seek to know the direction to take, I want God's voice loud and clear; a strong wind, an earthquake, a fire. Elijah takes off, fearing for his life from the threats of Jezebel. He is in a panic even after seeing how God dealt with the prophets of Baal and Asherah. So panicked, God has to gently ask him twice what he is doing. I am often like that, wrapped up in self worry and doubt, listening to my own rumbling so intently that God has to ask me a couple of times what is going on. Not because He needs to know, but because I need to focus. On Him.

"Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth."
Psalm 46:10 (NIV)

But it is often only in the stillness of myself that I can hear what He has to say to me. I like the NIV rendering "Be still" more than the NASB's "Cease striving" in this case, although I am a big NASB fan. I like the concept of stillness before the Lord. Stop watching wind and earthquake and fire, stop heeding the tumult of the world and of the mind and be still.

Sure God could thunder an immediately capture my attention. But He is a serene God, one of peace and calm, surety and assurance. And that is how He would have me behave.

Stop right now and try to be still before God and listen to the quiet power in His gentle voice inside you. Right now. That is what I am trying to do.



Technorati Tags: God, peace, stillness, quiet

To Be With Him

We must now examine this question. How do we receive those benefits, which the Father bestowed on his only-begotten Son-not for Christ's own private use, but that he might enrich poor and needy men? First, we must understand that as long as Christ remains outside of us, and we are separated from him, all that he has suffered and done for the salvation of the human race remains useless and of no value for us. Therefore, to share with us what he has received from the Father, he had to become ours and to dwell within us.
John Calvin - The Institutes of The Christian Religion 3.1.1

Jesus must be in us for us to fully experience what He has to offer. What that is quite frankly, is incomprehensible to us as finite beings, that is where the faith and trust in Him comes in. But there is such richness and joy, eternal joy, awaiting those who allow Jesus to step into their life, into their very core.

He is waiting patiently, lovingly. But He will not wait forever. One day He will come back. One day you will leave this earth and lose the opportunity to come to him anymore.

No one but God knows either of those days, but they are both coming. You can run from Christ in your heart and mind but not from that final day.

But with Him within you boith can be faced with calm, with peace and yes with the joy of being with the Lord.