July 16, 2018-The Power of Quiet


By Gwen Smith—

Today’s Truth

The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he restores my soul (Psalm 23:1-3a, NIV).

Friend to Friend

There are times when laundry takes over my house. Piles build up, though I try to stay on top of them. Many of the clothes are clean and even folded, but not put away. That tricky put-away-part is always hard for me.

Then there are the socks. Oh, the socks! They burden me so and cause me to wonder. Does an unseen sock nation exist? Are sock-soldiers are on a secret mission to destroy my testimony and drive me crazy? Divide and conquer. That’s what they do! Why can’t socks just behave? Why can’t they ever stay in pairs, and where am I supposed to put the socks that remain unmatched? Sigh. 

Unmatched socks and folded-but-not-put-away-laundry tie me up in knots. Sometimes days go by before I make the time to put them away. Is it just me?

I’ve come to realize that my days can be a lot like my laundry situation. At times they get piled up with busy. Sabbath gets squeezed out. Now, when I say Sabbath, I mean the priority of sitting before the Lord just to sit with Him… quietly… expectantly… to listen… to be restored. 

Though I do include God in my days and breathe prayers throughout, when I don’t sit before the Lord and exercise the spiritual discipline of being quiet before God it seems that both old and new burdens can tie my heart into a big frazzled knot.

It had been one of those weeks. Knots. Knots. Knots. 

Then I finally remembered the power of quiet. I remembered My Restorer. 

As I sat in the cool still of the morning with a hot mug of coffee in my hand and the warming presence of God in my soul, the burdens of my heart began to drift away. Direction came. Joy resounded. Mercy rained. Peace… deep peace fell.

The Spirit of God transformed my soul, my thoughts, my goals, and my day. It was as if I had slumbered half the week away. This is where they go. This is where my burdens belong. The old ones that I’ve written about time and time again in my prayer journal and the new ones that are just beginning to unravel from my heart. This is where they go! I just needed to put my continuous stream of life-burdens away like the unending piles of laundry. THEN: order, soul order… peace, compelling peace… joy, divine joy and restoration… it all came.

I sat in wonder. 

Still. 

In His presence. 

Convicted of my failure to remember the power of being quiet before the Lord. Of course this is where they go. I knew that. I knew that. Lord, forgive me. Oh, how I’m thankful for your daily mercy showers. I was met in my mess by the Lord my Restorer.

Each of us is invited to experience God as our Restorer. To know the renewal we long for each day. Jesus invited us personally when he said, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light” (Matthew 11:28-30).

When our lives get too busy – when the laundry piles up in our homes and the burdens pile up in our hearts – we often forget the power of quiet. The power of being still before God. The power of listening, expecting, soul-pouring … receiving rest from our Restorer. His presence sorts souls and never leaves an unmatched burden. 

His presence never leaves an un-lifted burden. 

How great is our God?

Take some time to power-down and be still before Him right now. Remember the power of quiet as you accept the renewal invitation of Jesus and exchange your burdens and knots for His peace and restoration.

Let’s Pray

Dear Lord, Your mercy is fresh each day, and Your grace piles higher than all my laundry and all my heart-woes. Thank You, Lord! I’m here. Please align my heart to Yours. Quiet me with Your love, direction, and peace today. 

In Jesus’s Name I pray, 
Amen.

Now it’s Your Turn

When is the last time you sat and were still before God – with no music playing, no TV on, etc.?

When we spend purposed time with the Lord, beautiful things happen. Look up Zephaniah 3:17 and fill in the blanks below:

“The LORD your God is _______ _________, he is mighty to save.
He will take ___________ ______________in you, he will _____________ you with his ______________, he will _____________ over you with ________________.”

More from the Girlfriends

We’re pleased to announce the new GRACEOLOGY with Gwen Smith podcast! Hang out with Gwen and friends when you go on walks, exercise, run errands or travel. Podcasts are also perfect to listen to as you do household chores! (Laundry anyone?) Each GRACEOLOGY with Gwen Smith podcast episode is filled with fun, faith-focused, grace-filled conversations that will help you know and trust God more. These discussions are going to encourage you in meaningful ways to live out and lean on the GRACE of Jesus in the midst of cluttered, messy days. CLICK HERE to subscribe on iTunes, or visit GwenSmith.net/Graceology for more information.

SPECIAL OFFER: Today’s post is an excerpt from the book Knowing God by Name. Gwen is offering a 20% OFF discount on the Knowing God by Name book from her site when you use the coupon code: 20OFF. Click here to get yours now.

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