Day 14 - Sunday, October 25th
LIFE Journal
This Week's Memory Verse
Blessed are those who fear the Lord, who find great delight in His commands. Psalm 112:1
Devotional
Hopefully at this point, you are convinced that prayer is an important and powerful part of the life of a believer. By now, we’ve looked at some ways in which we can pray and specific ways to pray. We’ve seen that prayer isn’t the kind of discipline you sprinkle in just once or twice a day, but rather a lifestyle.
But the truth is our lives move at break-neck speed and we are surrounded by constant noise. There is the news always telling us another tragic story or how incredibly messed up the world is. There is social media, a constant comparison trap, an in your face stream of how your life doesn’t measure up to the highlight reel of your “friends.” There is the non-stop access to immediate entertainment in the form of Netflix binges. Stack that all on top of our over packed schedules, the dissonant cacophony can send our minds into a tailspin.
Jesus knew this world was going to be too loud at times. He knew the sounds of this place would be overwhelming and consuming and would undoubtedly drown out the voice of the Lord if we weren’t careful. He knew the demands of our jobs, our families and our lives would prove to be too much and so he showed us how important the discipline of solitude truly was.
Yet the news about him spread all the more, so that crowds of people came to hear him and to be healed of their sicknesses. But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed. Luke 5:15-16 NIV
How often do you shut down the noise? How much of your day do you silence the phone and retreat to a quiet place? We often think we don’t have time to do this because there is just too much to do. But if Jesus, God incarnate, had the masses knocking on his door with requests that required his immediate attention and yet he withdrew to a space alone, how much more should we? Certainly our list of demands are nothing like those of the Son of Man’s!
“Although the discipline of solitude asks us to set aside time and space, what finally matters is that our hearts become like quiet cells where God can dwell, wherever we go and whatever we do. The more we train ourselves to spend time with God and God alone, the more we will discover that God is with us at all times and in all places. Then we will be able to recognize God even in the midst of a busy and active life. Once the solitude of time and space has become a solitude of the heart, we will never leave that solitude. We will be able to live the spiritual life in any place and any time. Thus the discipline of solitude enables us to live active lives in the world, while remaining always in the presence of the living God.” (Henri Nouwen, Making All Things New)
We are more “connected” than ever before, yet spiritually speaking, we are the most disconnected generation ever. Silence has been filled by the hum of the television or music. Empty space results in thumb scrolls on a screen. If you’re feeling completely exhausted and burnt out, perhaps it is because you haven’t mastered the habit of muting all the clamor of the world in exchange for stillness with the Lord.
Take a look at your calendar and start to erase some temporary things and replace it with that which is eternal. Eventually, your heart will learn how to find quiet no matter how loud your life screams.
Think On This Verse:
He says, “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
Ask and Answer:
Do you struggle to quiet the noise and make time to be alone with God? How has being “connected” 24/7 impacted you? What are some practical things you can do to carve out time that is silent? What will it mean giving up so that you can create margin to do so? In what ways do you need to learn to be still?
But the truth is our lives move at break-neck speed and we are surrounded by constant noise. There is the news always telling us another tragic story or how incredibly messed up the world is. There is social media, a constant comparison trap, an in your face stream of how your life doesn’t measure up to the highlight reel of your “friends.” There is the non-stop access to immediate entertainment in the form of Netflix binges. Stack that all on top of our over packed schedules, the dissonant cacophony can send our minds into a tailspin.
Jesus knew this world was going to be too loud at times. He knew the sounds of this place would be overwhelming and consuming and would undoubtedly drown out the voice of the Lord if we weren’t careful. He knew the demands of our jobs, our families and our lives would prove to be too much and so he showed us how important the discipline of solitude truly was.
Yet the news about him spread all the more, so that crowds of people came to hear him and to be healed of their sicknesses. But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed. Luke 5:15-16 NIV
How often do you shut down the noise? How much of your day do you silence the phone and retreat to a quiet place? We often think we don’t have time to do this because there is just too much to do. But if Jesus, God incarnate, had the masses knocking on his door with requests that required his immediate attention and yet he withdrew to a space alone, how much more should we? Certainly our list of demands are nothing like those of the Son of Man’s!
“Although the discipline of solitude asks us to set aside time and space, what finally matters is that our hearts become like quiet cells where God can dwell, wherever we go and whatever we do. The more we train ourselves to spend time with God and God alone, the more we will discover that God is with us at all times and in all places. Then we will be able to recognize God even in the midst of a busy and active life. Once the solitude of time and space has become a solitude of the heart, we will never leave that solitude. We will be able to live the spiritual life in any place and any time. Thus the discipline of solitude enables us to live active lives in the world, while remaining always in the presence of the living God.” (Henri Nouwen, Making All Things New)
We are more “connected” than ever before, yet spiritually speaking, we are the most disconnected generation ever. Silence has been filled by the hum of the television or music. Empty space results in thumb scrolls on a screen. If you’re feeling completely exhausted and burnt out, perhaps it is because you haven’t mastered the habit of muting all the clamor of the world in exchange for stillness with the Lord.
Take a look at your calendar and start to erase some temporary things and replace it with that which is eternal. Eventually, your heart will learn how to find quiet no matter how loud your life screams.
Think On This Verse:
He says, “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
Ask and Answer:
Do you struggle to quiet the noise and make time to be alone with God? How has being “connected” 24/7 impacted you? What are some practical things you can do to carve out time that is silent? What will it mean giving up so that you can create margin to do so? In what ways do you need to learn to be still?
Prayer
Lord, teach me how to be still in the middle of a culture that thrives off of constant noise. Give me self-control to turn off devices that keep me disconnected from you. Help me to prepare a place and a space in my calendar to follow Christ’s example when facing so many demands on his time. Amen.