God Speaks to My Restlessness

The piece below is best read slowly with a gentle pace. That is how it came to me. It soaks in more easily that way. :)

"Be still
and know
that I am God. "

...Where are you busying about?

...Where is the restless rustle of your activity drowning out the peace of God?

There, be still, and acknowledge Him.
Stop just there, in the midst of the race
-- and worship.

In your restless wanderings,
the pull of the frenetic will be hard to resist;
the worship of a majestic God
of stillness
and wonder
will seem impossible, impractical, misplaced.

Worship, any way.
It is the only means of breaking you free of the stranglehold of time.

The soul was made for eternity.
You must linger there.

It is not enough to write pretty words and sing love songs.
You must practice worship within the everyday.
Do it,
though pitifully,
poorly,
haltingly.

Do it, and the Lord will reward you with His comfort.

Who Listens

Gentle, quiet thoughts
lead me to Jesus
Precious, loving Jesus
yet awesome in power
The power of His character
exceeding all supernatural power

Gentle, quiet thoughts
lead me to Jesus
I am His--
and He is mine!
This is a great and lovely wonder
A great gentleness
to which I listen

x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x

Who listens?
Who sits quietly among the stillness where only bird or breeze punctuates the silence?
Who really listens?

We have become a loud planet. So many voices--news, opinions, sermons, filibusters, advertisements, chants, and speeches.
I get confused amidst so many voices.
The perceived noise of my neighbor reacts with my inner dissonance and results in a chaotic, frenetic, engulfing static.
The noise forces me to live at a superficial level. I react rather than respond.

Hearing so much, I fail to listen.

Listening requires my stillness.

Be still...and know that I am God.