Serenity Of Stillness With God
BRD REFLECTIONS:
Judges 21:1-25 and Psalm 41 (NIV)
(Ruth Tan, SGM, Asst. Zone Leader)
READ:
Judges 21 (NIV)
OBSERVE:
When I read Judges 21, my first thought was why did the Israelites choose such messy lives? They were kidnapping virgins from the tribe of Benjamin and killing the rest of them. Though they professed to seek God, they continued to carry out their plans. God was with them, yet they were blinded and behaved foolishly. They failed to acknowledge God as their King. They did as they deemed right.
APPLY:
When faced with challenges, how do I respond? Do I do as I feel or deem right? Who can I look to for help? There are so many questions but what is the answer?
Truthfully, I cannot just do what is right in my own eyes, leaving out the most important part; what is right before God. When I am confused by many well-meaning advice from people, I shall turn to God’s view.
Sometimes, I am so busy and distracted by my many activities that I forget to focus on God in my devotions. At other times, I am so exhausted from these activities that I am unable to keep still in the Lord. Moreover, the times when I manage to be still, I fall asleep before the Lord. Like the Israelites, I would be in a monologue with God and then fall asleep without spending time with Him!
In November last year, I went away for a week’s Contemplative and Silent Guided Retreat. For a whole week at the retreat centre, I had to be quiet. There was no chit-chat with other retreatants, wi-fi, or social media. I could only use my vocal cords during morning and evening worship, prayer sessions, and the sharing time with the Spiritual Director. For the rest of the day and night, it was silence, keeping still, waiting upon the Lord, going for walks with Him, talking to Him and again waiting to listen from Him. I had a beautiful time feeling the presence of God, and simply spending time with Him.
The Lord answered my questions at the silent retreat with this verse from Psalms: “Be still, and know that I am God” (Ps 46:10).
DO:
Whom shall I turn to when I am troubled, feeling defeated, and struggling in gloom and anguish? I shall turn to God first. I shall go to the Lord, surrender myself to Him, be still, and wait for the Lord. Psalm 37:7 says, “Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for Him”.
Do I know someone who is troubled, feeling defeated or in anguish? I can journey with them in quietness, praying for them to experience God’s love and His presence.
PRAY:
Dear Father God, thank You for reminding me to be still and know that You are God. Thank You for letting me taste how good it is to be still and wait patiently for You. I pray in the midst of all the noise, the hustle and bustle of my daily activities, that You will help me set aside time to quieten my heart and mind to focus on You alone. In Jesus’ Name, the author and perfecter of my faith, Amen.
