Stillness and Silence
Sometimes when the pressure of decision is very real, there is a place that I like to go. It’s a place in which stillness and silence reigns, where the beauty of God’s handiwork is seen so clearly. It’s so easy to love a place like that for so many reasons: the quietness, the beauty, the serenity of nature’s touch. But most of all, for me, it is a place where I find my Father’s heart.
Psalm 23:2 is such a well-known scripture – He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters.
His silence is still golden. In an age where the pressure of decision seems to be an ever-present adversary, we need to know a place where we can find our solitude. A place uncluttered by the affairs of man and the tension of the time clock ticking our moments away. A place where we can hear God clearly.
In my quest for such a place over the years, I have often found some beautiful and wonderful spots. Places that still linger and minister to my mind. But not always so. There are times when such a place, is not to be found. For reasons many and varied, our search for solitude remains an unfruitful one. For too many this moment becomes a time of crisis.
It is in such moments that the reality of the Holy Spirit is such a comfort. I have discovered that we can find a place of haven, wherever we are. It’s not a place of trees, and soft waters in the natural, but rather a place where our minds are at peace and our hearts are ministered to by His love. The Bible says that the love the Lord Jesus Christ can give is a love “beyond all understanding”. He speaks of a peace which is above all ability to reason or comprehend. It’s a peace which knows no limits and has no barriers. It’s a peace not borne out of the efforts of man, but has upon it the sweet touch of the Divine. A place of stillness and silence where the loving heart of the Father ministers to us by the Holy Spirit.
When people question me concerning the reality of the Lord Jesus Christ, there are things I can refer to. The miracles, the healings, the transformed lives, the sheer joy in our services from people who have previously only known despair. But perhaps one of the greatest evidences of all is that ever present peace which is greater than my understanding.
The peace of which I’ve written, is a peace freely available. But will never be found in the strife and struggle of physical or intellectual endeavour, for it is spiritual in nature. By coming to the Lord Jesus who is its Source and Supply we can receive in a moment that which may be the quest of a lifetime.
My prayer is that you will find your haven of stillness and silence soon, for I know how much I value mine.
