Every morning, come rain or shine or rain (we do live in almost-tropical Tampa, after all), I walk our dog, Jedi. I don’t drink coffee, so my morning walk is like a large cup of caffeine. It’s a perfect time to get outside, get some exercise, and get with the Lord in quiet prayer as I enjoy His creation.
Christmas morning? Just another morning to Jedi, so after presents were opened and cinnamon rolls and scrambled eggs were devoured, our eager pointer/boxer mix and I took off for a one-mile loop around our neighborhood.
Silence is not my usual walking companion. Our subdivision is located near a six-lane highway that bustles with vehicles all hours of the day and night. Especially the mornings, when cars whiz by to get to work on time.
We usually stroll to the entrance of our community and back. I hear everything from honks to brakes squealing to loud shifting from semis and dump trucks out on US 301.
Christmas morning was different. It was silent, and the lack of noise during the walk was a sensory shock.
The hushed silence wrapped around me, full and soft, created by the celebration of a perfect Life lived for us.
Stilled silence.
The past two weeks I gently prayed for a word or verse for 2015. I try not to make a big deal out of it, keeping to the realization that if the Lord gives me a word for the upcoming year, a word He’ll use to have me bring Him due glory in the new year, then I would welcome it.
During the startling, beautiful silence of my Christmas morning walk, the word “still” came to me, fresh from Psalm 46. “Be still, and know that I am God.”
“I know that, God. I know it.” I whispered.
But did I?
I ended 2014 with a frenzy of writing, shopping, activities, illness, work, and stress. It catapulted the daily lineup of life so full that I, like many, was almost indifferent to Christmas’s imminent arrival. Busyness is the devil’s best friend; it works us into a frenzy of often-useful and truly good activities so that we’re far, far from having a stilled silence before the Lord.
I have no idea what’s to come for 2015. But I welcome the New Year, trusting in the Lord with all my heart. I can only do this clinging to the words of Psalm 46.
This New Year, whatever your word, verse, or focus is, make sure God’s rightful place is on the throne of your life. Come before Him in stilled silence, in expectation of His grace and new mercies each day.
Memory Verse:
“Let all those who seek You rejoice and be glad in You; Let such as love Your salvation say continually, ‘The Lord be magnified!’”
– Psalm 40:16 (NKJV)
Prayer Prompt:
“Heavenly Father, a New Year means more chances to be still before You. Open my eyes to the wonder of You and help me hear Your voice amidst the busyness of life…”
Contributing Writer:
Kerry Johnson
A Lamp, a light, and a Writer
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