SEASON 5, EPISODE 21, “THE ENCHANTED COTTAGE”

17

HOLD STILL AND LISTEN

“If you’d hold still for a minute, I’d tell you.”

—LAURA INGALLS

Our lives and schedules are full. We zip from one task to the next, hoping to accomplish everything on our to-do list while longing to discover purpose in it all. I’ve found myself, when speeding around, asking God to reveal His will for my life. Will God instruct us while we’re multitasking? Laura had an idea for how they could surprise Mary, but Albert wouldn’t stop talking and cleaning the stalls to hear her out. Laura encouraged Albert to hold still, in much the same way that God asks us to “be still, and know” (Psalm 46:10 KJV).

Sometimes life forces us to stop. That happened to me when I was diagnosed with a brain tumor. Immediately, every plan, every item on my to-do list that didn’t have to do with healing was put on hold. Suddenly I had time to think and pray. It proved to be a season during which God whispered all kinds of promises to me through His Word and through His people. But mostly, I heard Him in the stillness.

One of our greatest challenges when we’re before the Lord is learning to be quiet—to stop talking. Stop asking. There are times when pouring out our hearts is necessary. At other times, silence gives way to the simplest, most authentic connection. We will never know what the Lord has to tell us if we don’t cease our constant chatter. How much direction might I have missed before my surgery experience because I didn’t stop to listen?

Since recovering from my brain surgery, I’m in motion most of the time. Now I’m constantly striving to find more quiet. Our homes aren’t always the best places for silence, especially if kids are around.

When I need peace, I go to the beach. There’s something about taking in the beauty of creation that inspires stillness in me. To sit and watch the waves, waiting for the colors to erupt as the sun dips down: for me it is the perfect place to listen.

It’s not easy for us to put our agendas aside and be quiet. It takes sacrifice and discipline on our part. Yet God has so much to tell us in the silence. Just as Laura said, hold still and let Him tell you.

The Lord GOD, the Holy One of Israel, has said, “In repentance and rest you will be saved, in quietness and trust is your strength.”

ISAIAH 30:15 NASB

Do you have a hard time being still before the Lord? Where is the best place for you to be quiet? Challenge yourself to spend even a few minutes in silence today.