Being scared, being still, and coming back

When I decided to take February off after blogging six years, some were concerned. A month of silence is risky. A blog can fizzle in 28 days. In the face of major transition for our family, I knew God was prompting me towards being still, but I was afraid the concerns were valid. Still, I declared a sabbatical month to listen to the Lord. When we are still, our fears are stilled.

We have to choose being still

Quiet isn’t easy anymore, but it matters even more. Six months ago, we knew God was calling us from our church ministry, but we didn’t know what He was calling us to. It can be noisy when straining to hear God’s voice and see the path where He leads. Mobile phones make information-addiction more than easy; it’s more than likely.

The Enemy doesn’t want us to be still. God desperately wants us to be still. He promises if we’ll be still, we’ll learn Who He is. Even good things can control us. Little idols make a subtle slide away from stillness all too easy.

As I carved out quiet, God was for me, sending snow and ice and cold to cancel school and force me to stay put. He cooperated in creating the quiet I craved. God longs for all of us to embrace regular rest in recognition we need the rhythms of life He modeled as Creator. “It is a sign forever between me and the people of Israel that in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day he rested and was refreshed.” (Exodus 31:17)

When we choose stillness, God speaks.

Being still benefits all of us

The stillness God calls us to is good for us, but not only for us. It’s also good for those we love. When God called His people to rhythmic habits of Sabbath, He embedded regular reminders essential to their identity. In the quiet, I know I am God’s and He is mine. When we stop speaking and moving, we start to hear God speaking and moving.

Stillness benefits the Sabbath taker, and Sabbath benefits the home of the Sabbath taker. “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy … the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, your male servant, or your female servant, or your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates. For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy,” (Exodus 20:8-11).

By stilling the noise of life and amplifying the quiet, I was available to listen to the Lord in His word, to pray, to listen to Jeff, to think, and to be refreshed. My family needed my stillness. February was a month of God’s movement, which I’ll share in the weeks ahead. When we stop speaking and moving, we start to hear God speaking and moving.

Being still calms our fear

And how about those fears that my blog, which I’ve cultivated for six years, would whither and die? God not only called His people to a weekly day of Sabbath, He called them to a year of Sabbath every 7 years. After six years, He commanded them to let the land lie fallow and trust Him to provide enough to sustain them. (Leviticus 25:2-7, 18-22) Israel had to trust God enough to let the land rest a year without cultivation, believing God would meet their needs. Sabbath is as much about trust as it is rest. If we will just pause, God will provide.

I needed to let the blog rest for a month without attention, believing God would do with it what He desires. Now our family needs to let God lead where He desires, knowing He will care for us. When we are still, our fears are stilled.

How long has it been since you’ve had time to be still? Are you waiting for direction, straining see God’s movement? Would your household benefit from your time to rest? It’s easy to fear missing out, lacking in progress, or failing to succeed. We will never be sorry when we respect God’s rhythms of rest.

I missed being here with you. It was good to be away … and it’s good to be back.