WORSHIP WITH US THIS SUNDAY!! – 10:30 am in-person, on our Worship page, or on YouTube. We hope to see you there!
Be Still Before the Lord
2024-10-29 | Kate Cogswell
Psalm 37:7
In Psalm 37:7a, Scripture directs us to “be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him.” The practice of silence is an invitation into deeper intimacy with God.
For the last couple of months, we have been practicing silence together in community on Sunday mornings as part of our worship service. We have been doing this because we believe silence is foundational to our Christian spiritual formation, to our journey as apprentices to Jesus. And we believe there is something meaningful that happens when we practice together.
Silence, as we have been practicing it, is most simply a posture of prayer.
A posture where we set aside our own agendas to practice listening for the voice of God. A time where we continue practicing setting aside the words we might say to God, the distractions around us and in us, and allow ourselves to simply be with God and open to what He might say.
It’s a practice. One that will take practice.
Whether you live with a lot of silence or a lot of noise, whether you feel comfortable with the practice or feel great resistance, whether you are skeptical or curious, the soul training practice of silence takes practice.
Yes, that’s right. The soul training practice of silence takes practice.
On Sundays we practice silence in community within the limits of time constraints and physical space because we do believe there is something meaningful that happens when we practice together. At the same time, these times are also prompts for you to practice on your own. The soul training practice of silence is your time with God.
We encourage you to practice silence in your own rhythms with God - to find ways that you can get quiet with God – ways to make this practice your own. Beyond what we share during our worship services.
The God who created the universe, the God who loves you, is eager to spend time with you. He invites you to come as you are, and draw close to your creator by accepting the invitation from the psalmist in Psalm 37:7 to be still and wait for the Lord.
In his book Practicing the Way, John Mark Comer reminds us that “the quiet is where we go to find God. Because it’s there, in the quiet, that the inner roar of our world of noise –the distraction, the chaos, and all the lies –fades away, and what shimmers in its place is the peace and presence of God.”
Being quiet with God isn’t natural for most of us. So, extend grace to yourself as you engage with God in silence. I’m going to say it again, this practice will likely take practice. Be patient. Your part is to show up. God is already present and waiting to spend time with you. We simply offer our time, choosing to make space for God in the quiet. Without expectation of results or revelation, (though we may receive them), but with the hope of experiencing the peace and presence of God.
Because as we learn to quiet ourselves, to sit with God in silence – to aim our attention toward Him – his beauty, his word, his goodness – we are transformed.