Cultivate stillness

Waiting...not known to be a favorite word - brings images of waiting rooms, waiting in traffic, even waiting for water to boil.  Yet it's a part of every process...the time between steps. Life in these United States encourages movement, forward thinking; even "time management" infers cramming in a much as you can.  Very little thought is given to waiting...until we are forced to wait, and then often impatience surfaces.  We don't like to consider ourselves to be impatient, masking it over with euphemisms that paint us in a more positive light - "multi-tasking", "making the most of every minute", even "carpe diem". In recent years, social media has added to the expectation of instant responses just as microwave ovens, remote controls, and fast food restaurants earlier provoked speedy response as they were introduced to our culture.

Over the past 10 years, life circumstances have caused me to learn the value of waiting, a practice which has made space for life elements with more restful, thoughtful value.  Pondering. Observation. Basking. Reflection. Listening. Insight. Giving preference to others. Peace. Patience. Serenity. Daydreaming. Appreciation. Thankfulness. Quiet. Learning. Study. "Taking time". Reading. Awareness. Stillness.

When our children were young, we discipled them in waiting as having value in life; a favorite song reflected that teaching:

Have patience, have patience;

Don't be in such a hurry. 

When you get impatient, you only start to worry.

Remember, remember, that God is patient, too,

And think of all the times when others have to wait for you. 

We do well as adults to be mindful of these things as well and to cultivate stillness - a pause, time well spent before the next step. Music would only be a cacophony of sound without timing, rests, pause; we should consider the value of a balance of timing in the whole of our lives. 
Ponder. 

Father of Time, Ancient of Days, Creator of seasons, of sowing and reaping, guide us to rest in Your timing, to follow Your pattern, that we might more fully experience life as You intended. Open our eyes and tune our ears to Your rhythm and heartbeat that we might be just as ready to rest, to come away, as we are to step forward and be doers. Amen.

Slow Down by Chuck Girard   (click link to hear song)

Perspective

 "And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus" (Ephesians 2:6)

God is not surprised by what you are going through, no matter the circumstances. Being that He lives outside of Time and sees the beginning and the end of our days, that truth should bring us peace we can learn to rest in His wisdom and care. Our struggle is often to fend off fear and grasp Truth; this we must practice; it is a discipline, physical and spiritual. Grace will carry us, Holy Spirit will lead and remind us, but we must agree with the side of Truth to hush the voices that try to gain a hold on the battlefield of our minds.

I love the picture Paul painted in his letter to the Ephesians of us being seated in Heavenly places with Christ - He is at the right hand of the Father!! If we take a moment to ponder that and get a vision of being seated above the problems - the smallness of our present problem and the bigness of our God, our perspective changes. Personally, I liken it to the experience of flying in plane and watching through the window as everything on earth grows smaller and smaller until they can no longer be seen. 

As we came to know God in the early 1970's when "contemporary" Christian music was blossoming, one of our favorite guitarists was Phil Keaggy, a talented, innovative musician and lyricist. Truths voiced in his song "Disappointment" (lyrics below) became part of the bedrock of our faith with the word "disappointment" quickly taking the form of "His appointment" each time it surfaced.

Disappointment - His appointment;
Change one letter, then I see
That the thwarting of my purpose 
Is God's better choice for me.
His appointment must be blessing
Though it may come in disguise,
For the end from the beginning 
Open to His wisdom lies.

Disappointment - His appointment;
Whose? The Lord's, who loves me best,
Understands and know me fully,
Who my faith and love would test.
For like loving, earthly parents
He rejoices when He knows
That His child accepts unquestioned
All that from His wisdom flows.

Disappointment - His appointment;
No good thing will He withhold.
From denials we oft gather
Treasures from His love untold.
Well He knows each broken purpose
Leads to fuller, deeper trust
And the end of all His dealings 
Proves our God is wise and just.

Disappointment - His appointment;
Lord I take it then as such,
Like the clay in hands of potter
Yielding wholly to Thy touch.
All my life's plan is Thy molding;
Not one single choice be mine.
Let me answer unrepining, 
"Father, not my will but Thine".    

Father, we need You, Your help, Your wisdom, Your Presence every minute of every day. Holy Spirit I yield to You that I might have the mind of Christ, hearing Your voice, resting in Your plan, and pleasing You only.

Disappointment by Phil Keaggy (click to hear song)

Trust in Him

Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing. 
1 Thessalonians 5:11


For several days now, I've been mindful of sharing with others the encouragements I have received, so it is my intention to share these as often as I can.  We are a part the cloud of witnesses surrounding one another: those who go before us are examples and lead the way, those on our sides support and encourage, those behind us can easily see our progress and give shouts of victory!  Hallelujah! 

With that purpose in mind, this entry is foundational to me, describing my experience when Dale was most critical after his stroke and I had no control, no answers.  That experience has not left me, but is foundational as we move forward, resting in Him completely, as the song says "in Christ alone I put my trust".
_____________________________

From Streams in the Desert, September 10...

"The Lord will perfect that which concerneth me" (Ps. 138:8)

There is a Divine mystery in suffering, a strange and supernatural power in it, which has never been fathomed by the human reason. There never has been known great saintliness of soul which did not pass through great suffering. When the suffering soul reaches a calm sweet carelessness, when it can inwardly smile at its own suffering, and does not even ask God to deliver it from suffering, then it has wrought its blessed ministry; then patience has its perfect work; then the crucifixion begins to weave itself into a crown.
It is in this state of the perfection of suffering that the Holy Spirit works many marvelous things in our souls. In such a condition, our whole being lies perfectly still under the hand of God; every faculty of the mind and will and heart are at last subdued; a quietness of eternity settles down into the whole being; the tongue grows still, and has but few words to say; it stops asking God questions; it stops crying, "Why hast thou forsaken me?"
The imagination stops building air castles, or running off on foolish lines; the reason is tame and gentle; the choices are annihilated; it has no choice in anything but the purpose of God. The affections are weaned from all creatures and all things; it is so dead that nothing can hurt it, nothing can offend it, nothing can hinder it, nothing can get in its way; for, let the circumstances be what they may, it seeks only for God and His will, and it feels assured that God is making everything in the universe, good or bad, past or present, work together for its good.

Oh, the blessedness of being absolutely conquered! of losing our own strength, and wisdom, and plans, and desires, and being where every atom of our nature is like placid Galilee under the omnipotent feet of our Jesus.  
--Soul Food

The great thing is to suffer without being discouraged. --Fenelon

In Christ Alone by Michael English   (click link to hear song)