Wednesday, March 5, 2014

Does Being Quiet Leave You Undone?

Today is the beginning of Lent. 
A practice many in the Christian church do not observe. 


A practice centuries old; representing Jesus' time in the quiet; in the wilderness. 
It was during this time he was tempted by Satan;
Matthew 4:3-4 The tempter came to him and said, "If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread."Jesus answered, "It is written: 'Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.'"
It was during this time that he fasted for 40 days. 
He withdrew from all the chaos and hustle in town. 
He needed time. 
He needed quiet. 
He was about to endure the cross. 
His heart needed sweet communion with His Father. 
As I have grown older and find myself so easily distracted;
 times like Advent and Lent have become intentional times of focus on the quietness of my heart. 
I have grown to love these times and see the beauty in why they were included in the church calendar. 
We tend to be so busy. Running here and there. For good things; good purposes
We pray, we worship.
 We tend to forget to be quiet before the Lord. 
Just be still; in his presence. 
Time to shut out the schedule, the demands of the day; to be silent. 
Matthew 4:1-2 tells us that God led Jesus into the wilderness, where he fasted for 40 days. 
I only know of one person who fasted for 40 days.
 He was in the guards and was called to go to Iraq. 
He would tell us of his walk each week. 
It was a powerful journey. 
Why are we so afraid of quiet
(Me included. I talk way too  much, just ask the farmer)
Why does quiet prayer and silence leave us undone
Last year during Lent, I attempted to add a trait to my walk instead of depriving myself of something. 
A practice to encourage your walk with the Lord. 
Maybe you're going to attempt to read the bible every day, 
There are great tools out there to help that process. 
The youversion bible allows you to down load the program to your computer or phone and it will read to you and keep track of where you are. So, your morning commute can be part of your bible time. 
Or when the kids are napping. This is just one way and one program. 
I have been using a bookmark tracking system, that works for me. 


There are 4 book marks placed in the bible. 
You have 5 days of grace in each month. ( so thankful) 
Ann Voskamp also has developed a Lenten Devotional that we have used as well. 
These are just tools to enhance a practice to bring us closer to God. 
Choose to make Lent a game changer.
 It takes 30 days to develop a new habit. This is 40. 
Take action to improve your walk with God. To get closer to him. 
Maybe your marriage needs 40 days of intentional focus. 
Do something quiet for your spouse each day. 
There is "The Love Dare"
Use these next 40 days to make changes. 
It is a beautiful practice. 
It is not a command or a mandate. 
But it is a practice that has merit and beauty. 
My cry this Lent will be to seek the "what" God has next for our family. 
What do we do in the aftermath of living a life without our Elijah?
What does it look like when you won't know if the cancer will return? 
I will seek Who God is in all of  this. 
In the quiet.

6 comments:

  1. Beautiful reflection, Tammy. You have inspired me to work on my marriage. Forty days from now we'll be stronger.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Blessings to you on this journey. We are never disappointed when we place God first in our marriage. I will come along side you and pray in this journey for you.

      Delete
  2. Thank you for sharing the links. I've been wanting to start reading the bible and I never know where or how to start. I am going to try the bookmark tracking system. Do you have any suggestions for a learning bible that may be easier to read and understand? I look forward to your posts every day. I pray for your family and hope that God helps heal and comfort you all.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yay for you! You will never regret this journey. I use an NIV study bible. I appreciate the commentary that is included to help with historical perspective. But any bible will get you started. Remember. You're never behind. Just keep at it. Give yourself permission to take 2 years if you need it. The idea is to start. Blessings on this new journey. You are added to my prayers as you begin. God Bless, Tammy

      Delete
  3. Love this Tammy…I love the quiet as you know. Thanks for the reminder to have a plan. What an encouragement you are to me!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Cindy. The feeling is mutual. The quiet is one of those things that some love and others need to learn in the journey.

      Delete