An 8-day devotional
Worship in Silence and Solitude
‘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)
There is such beauty in stillness.
All too often, in our busy and rushing world, we forget that stillness is a valid form of worship to the Lord. How often do you sit, kneel or stand still and just soak in the presence of God?
As today’s scripture admonishes us, be still. Know that He is God.
Because of the great activity that is available to us in our modern lives, we can so easily opt for movement rather than stillness. There is certainly a place for activity, movement and action – yes! But when it becomes hustle, hurry or rushing, we need to settle our souls and be still. This is a profound act of worship.
Think about your sleeping hours. You don’t set an alarm for 3am to make sure the world is still turning do you?! You know and trust that God is capable of handling things without your help overnight and beyond. Sleep, therefore, can be viewed as an act of trust. An act of worship. A way of saying ‘You are God and I am a human. You are in heaven and I am here on earth. Thank you that you sustain and maintain all things whilst I sleep. ’
If stillness and pausing in His presence is not something that comes naturally to you, take it one step at a time.
Set a timer for 5 minutes and just sit, kneel, stand – whatever! – and practice stillness in His presence.
Breathe.
Listen.
Be present.
You may find that some of the most powerful and profound times of worship come through your stillness for the very reason that God knows how challenging it is for you to pause and be still.
Now, imagine you had a friend who talked at you constantly. You cannot get a word in! Imagine how frustrating and sad that would be. Now imagine if that same friend came to their time with you with an offering of silence. They simply sat with you and listened to you, your thoughts, your words, your ideas. My guess is that you would feel incredibly valued and heard by your friend.
Friends, time with God is no different. One way that we can honour Him and worship Him is to sit in His presence and simply be. Listen for His voice, for what He may want to deposit into your spirit and thank Him for His attention and presence.
Father,
Being still is very foreign in our modern day culture. Help us to carve out time to be quiet and still with you. Thank you for offering us peace that transcends our understanding. You have overcome the world and all its trouble so that we can sit in your presence in stillness, with a calm heart.
In Jesus name,
Amen.
Photo by DAVID NIETO on Unsplash
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