We need to find God, and He cannot be found in noise and restlessness. God is the friend of silence. ~ Mother Teresa
Last May, after our youngest child graduated from high school, I thought I would overcome the sorrow I felt by keeping myself busy. I began by joining a bible study and scheduling lunch dates with various acquaintances and friends.
I was ready to face my new season as an empty nester.
My plan was to stay busy. My thinking was if I filled my life up with activity I wouldn’t have time to be sad and lonely. 
God, however, had a different plan for me.
The week after we dropped off our daughter at her college, I broke my foot, my right foot. This meant I couldn’t drive.
The inability to drive may not have deterred me from my plans, but during the same week I broke my foot, God had my attention when, for the fourth time that week, I was led to read Psalm 46:10.
Psalm 46:10 says, “Be still, and know that I am God!”
I didn’t fully understand what God may be saying to me, but I felt He was asking me to isolate myself because He had something to tell me.
Sometimes God needs us to be very quiet with Him so as to reveal His purpose for our lives.
“Be still” literally means “take your hands off! Relax!” This is not always easy to do because most people prefer to manage their own lives.
In the business of our daily lives, we may not always hear God’s voice . For example, I was so distracted by my excitement of joining a Bible Study and going on lunch dates that it never occurred to me that God would be calling me to take this season as a time of seeking Him and His next steps for me. Unfortunately for me, it took a broken foot for me to submit myself to Him so that I could hear His gentle whisper (1 Kings 19:12).
Some seasons are to be spent in silence and solitude so as to hear God’s directions for your life (tweet this).
There is no better place to be than in the center of God’s will. Often we need to take the time to surrender our own plans, sit with our creator, and wait until He speaks to us.
Being still with God is an act of worship because it is a step of obedience.
I would like to share something a dear friend said to me when I had broken my foot. She said, “Tweeny, your broken foot is like a broken wing on a bird. I see God holding you like a little bird. He wants to keep you in one place until it heals. I also see the bird, when it’s healed, it will be ready to fly. Until then He wants you to rest in Him.”
This, to me, is a beautiful picture of how we can be still and know that God has us in His grip.
If you are in place in life where you are not sure what your next steps ought to be, and you are seeking God on some answers, I encourage you to do nothing but be still with Him. Make some extra time to read His Word, pray and to literally sit quietly with Him. Tune out all the advice and distractions from the world. The truth is, only God knows what’s best for you.
You can count on God’s Spirit to guide you into what His desires are for you, but He needs you to be still enough so that you can hear His soft voice.
God will never fail you. He has a good plan for your life and He is faithful to your prayers.
God is God and we are but His servants, put here on earth for one purpose only~ to bring glory to Him.
Please leave me a comment below on how you know what God’s purpose for your life is.
“The Lord will work out his plans for my life — for your faithful love, O Lord, endures forever. Don’t abandon me, for you made me.” ~ Psalm 138:8.
Photo credit: Google Images
Great post Tweeny bird! Looking forward to having you fly again!
This was meant for me today & everyday. I am learning to BE STILL!
Hi Dora,
I’m happy to see your comment here. We all have to learn how to be still with God. It doesn’t come naturally to us! Hope you are well. Blessings~
After being diagnosed with a rare autoimmune disease in 2009, the plan I had had for the direction of my life came to a screeching halt. Forced to give up teaching, not well enough to work, I had a lot of questions about my future, and felt a lot of sadness and disappointment in having to give up a career I was passionate about. But God works in mysterious ways, and His plans are far more wonderful for us than our own. I had not surrendered my life to Him before May 2009, maybe parts of it, but not fully surrendered. My illness, and the many changes it has brought with it, financially, mentally, physically, has served to bring me before God, on my knees, hands lifted high, in complete surrender. Christ is my best friend and Saviour. Time and time again, I have faced what I have come to call speedbumps over
the past 4-1/2 years. Moments, days
and even weeks where I have to slow
down, be still and know that He is God
and He loves me and wants me to rest
in His arms, cry on His shoulder, hold
on to His hand, sing praises out
loud,and trust and obey Him. I have an
inner peace and joy I have never
known before. Had my life followed the plan I “thought” was best for me, I would have continued on day to day thinking that my job, my financial security, my family, my home and my health equalled happiness and fulfillment in life. ONLY complete surrender and trust in God has brought me peace and joy. I now thank God and accept willingly the “speedbumps”, for they offer me the opportunity to be still and know that He IS GOD. And it was His marvelous plan which led me exactly where I need to be, in His hands. If your life is busy, full, noisy, rushed, please take time to thank God for the speedbumps in your life, and do recognize the blessings that they
are and the opportunity they offer to hear God speaking to you. God bless you all.
Eileen,
Thank you SO much for sharing here. I love what you wrote! Especially like what you said: “If your life is busy, full, noisy, rushed, please take time to thank God for the speedbumps in your life, and do recognize the blessings that they are and the opportunity they offer to hear God speaking to you.” You are right on. We must all slow down and learn to hear God’s gentle voice.
Blessings,
Tweeny
This is such a great reminder. I am struggling right now to be still every day and let God speak to me. Being still is like a seatbelt preparing me to be ready for anything that may come across my path during the day ahead. Thank you for sharing your journey with me. You are such an inspiration!
Julie~ Thank you so much for leaving me a comment. I love sharing life with you my sweet friend. YOU inspire me more than you know. Love you~
Awesome blog, exactly what I needed to hear. Reminds me of a quote from Augustine…. “Our hearts are restless until they rest in Him.” Thanks for writing this! <3
My sweet Nikki. I love that quote from Augustine! Thanks for sharing it here. It’s beautiful. I love you ~
Really encouraged. Literally how I’m viewing my time in Colorado. A time to stop, rest, relax and hear God in the silence. I know he has me here for a reason and I believe part is is to just BE with him, to stop doing and just be. Thankful and blessed by you!
Hi Katie,
Thanks for commenting. I hope you are hearing clearly from him during this season of your life. I’m thankful for you!!! Blessings~
Sweet friend, what a wonderful reminder to me today and EXACTLY what I needed to hear from Him. Thank you for your obedience to Him, your faith in Him, and your love for Him, for it is because of all those things He is able to speak through you so clearly to each of us! I love you!
Hi Karen,
Thank you for your continuous support of my writings. I’m happy to hear that this blog post spoke to your heart. I miss and love you~
What a great Father He is to us! I can identify with you on what you going through. Thank you for sharing.
Thank you Jessica. I love you~
Wonderful post. In this fast-paced culture, it is hard to hold still. With constant voices calling for action, it is hard to hear HIS voice calling us to meditate on His Word. I needed this reminder. Thanks, Tweeny.
Arlene,
It blesses me to hear that this post was helpful to you. We all need to be reminded of being still with the Lord in this busy and full culture. Blessings~
Thanks for sharing your thoughts. I really appreciate your efforts and I am waiting for your
next post thank you once again.