A Hunger for Stillness

OPENING PRAYER. . .Loving God, Creator of all that is, here I am--today in this place that you have given me, with all the senses you have given me. Help me to use them to experience you on a deeper level. May I experience you all around me, open me to know more of your ways and know that your goodness surrounds me. Thank you for this time to be with you, to be still and to just listen. Amen

LISTEN: Therefore, the Lord God, the holy one of Israel, says:
In return and rest you will be saved; quietness and trust will be your strength—but you refused. Nonetheless, the Lord is waiting to be merciful to you, and will rise up to show you compassion. The Lord is a God of justice; happy are all who wait for him. Isaiah 30:15,18

CONSIDER:  One of the costs of living in our fast-paced, electronic world is that finding a silent, restful moment, day or night can be tough.  Instant communication creates a steady stream of info from everywhere. We expect from ourselves and others--an instant response. . . no matter if we (or the other person) is driving or sick as a dog. This minute by minute distraction keeps us far from a contemplative space. If we really think about it, this need to know what's going on with everyone addictive. So much so, that even if we aren't getting "notifications", we're still pulling out our phones to check on what we might have missed. . . but what we've really missed is our connection to God, and face to face connection with family and friends.

SO WHAT: Even in the ancient times of Isaiah, it's clear that getting busy and forgetting God was a common occurrence. To find God, we must wait. . . .waiting is not something that we are in a habit of doing!  Instant gratification is the rule, not the exception.  Did you know that Amazon.com is working on implementing deliveries within an hour of ordering online?  We begin to think that praying should be as instant as Amazon!  It is difficult for us to ratchet-back our obsession for instant actions. We expect that our faith-life should be just as quick-paced as the lives we live. We get bored in worship experiences because the pace is much slower than TV. . .or our smart phone videos. We want everything, including our faith, to be drive-through; with new and improved meaning delivered in the ever shrinking scheduled time slot we have available. Isaiah is speaking in the way God works--quietly, confidently, patiently through resting; encouraging us to SLOW DOWN.
Isaiah's advice to "return, rest, be patient and your strength will be gained in quiet confidence" is still valid for us today.  Your health, blood pressure, heart rate and frantic mind will all benefit from his advice.

• What makes putting down your smart phone, iPad, tablet difficult for you?
• Experiment with waiting. How long can you last before either internal or external interruptions end the waiting?
• Be honest with yourself. . . when you think about having to wait for something you want, how do you feel?

PRAYER: Loving God, slow me down! Still my anxieties and help me to wait in quiet. Remind me that good things come to those who wait. Show me how to find rest in you. Amen