Emilie Barnes - In the Stillness of Quiet Moments: A Devotional

HARVEST HOUSE PUBLISHERS

EUGENE, OREGON

Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations are taken from the New American Standard Bible, 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. (www.Lockman.org)

Verses marked NIV are taken from The Holy Bible, New International Version NIV. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Verses marked TLB are taken from The Living Bible , copyright 1971. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, IL 60189 USA. All rights reserved.

Some devotional material adapted from Emilie Barnes You Are My Hiding Place , copyright 2009; Meet Me Where I Am, Lord , copyright 2006; Minute Meditations for Healing and Hope , copyright 2003.

Cover by Left Coast Design, Portland, Oregon

Cover photo Shutterstock / Natu

IN THE STILLNESS OF QUIET MOMENTS

Copyright 2012 by Emilie Barnes

Published by Harvest House Publishers

Eugene, Oregon 97402

www.harvesthousepublishers.com

ISBN 978-0-7369-4742-8 (pbk.)

ISBN 978-0-7369-4743-5 (eBook)

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any meanselectronic, mechanical, digital, photocopy, recording, or any otherexcept for brief quotations in printed reviews, without the prior permission of the publisher.

M y friend, imagine living a day without revisiting worries of yesterday or contemplating the potential concerns of tomorrow. Imagine shaping moments of quiet to experience Gods peace and His leading. In Gods presence, you can experience the deep comfort, the expansive hope, and the freeing grace of His love.

Often we have the intention of starting our day with the Lord in the stillness of the morning hours before our children clamber down the stairs searching for lost homework or we gather our belongings and head off to a full day of work, appointments, and commitments. But it doesnt happen.

Instead of a ready, set, go preparation for the day, most of us wake up to Go! Go! Go! In a split second, our minds and bodies are forced to transition from dreamland to the intense demands of a busy life. No wonder we often go through our routines feeling as though were catching up or running in place. There is hope for us!

I invite you to change the pace of your day. Prepare a place in your life, your house, and your heart for inspirational quiet times with God. This is a come as you are invitation, by the way. Dont consider how this would be great if only you had more time, if only you were more spiritual, if only you believed quiet times for busy women were actually possible. I have good news. Peaceful, sacred moments with God can be part of every life. I can honestly say that such times should be a part of every life because we all need time to connect with our Creator. And our heavenly Father is eager for one-on-one sessions with you.

What we each bring with us to our quiet times will be different because we have unique burdens, worries, responsibilities, and needs. We might be experiencing very different seasons. For instance, when I share about a difficult physical journey I went through, if you havent gone through that specifically, I know youve had to persevere through your own land of tears or times of transition. This is exactly why entering a tender, quiet time with God is so refreshing and healing.

In the past, you may have tried to create a place in your day and heart for stillness before the Lord. Or maybe youve only wished such a time was part of your routine. Today you can give yourself the life-changing gift of establishing time for quiet moments with your Creator and the Lover of your heart.

Find a comfy chair, an alcove with a window seat, or a porch swing with a front-row view of the yard and sky. You not only deserve this time, your heart is longing for this openness and wonder before the Lord.

Spend time with these brief devotions and in prayer. Youll discover a place and space of renewal and recharging, dreams and direction, becoming and belonging. Welcome, my friend!

Be still, and know that I am God.

P SALM 46:10 NIV

I n this overstimulated world, do we even bother to listen for stillness, quietness, or silence? Do we take moments for reflection and rest so we can clear our heads and talk to God? For some people who have become addicted to noise, the sound of silence is very uncomfortable. They become uneasy or nervous. They need soundsloud sounds. They want to mask the thoughts that rise up or the worries that might surface if they spend time in silence. Try telling a teenager (and most adults) to stop listening to their iPods or to turn off the television. Theyll get upset, frustrated, and even angry.

Our culture is missing out on something great and important. Quiet times are refreshing to the soul, offering us reflection, a chance to mourn or be happy, and special opportunities to hear God speak to us in His still, small voice. Do such times exist in your home? Or is your house filled with the discordant sounds of television and pop music? Is it any wonder that many of us dont know how to cultivate silence? Consequently, we cant teach it to our children, either. Our hearts are longing for such peace, but we cover up that desire with more noise, more activity, and more distractions.

Perhaps your children are already well on the road to the addiction to noisethe need for constant audio activity. If so, you will be shortchanging them by not teaching them the joys of silence and the treasure of prayer.

The psalmist knew that to know God we have to stop striving and become still. The business of life must come to a halt if we want to become more intimate with God.

God of peace, I find myself anxious. Help me establish a quiet time each day so I can be still. In this stillness, let me ponder who You are. I want to know You in a greater way. Give me the courage to establish my home as a place of peace, not audio discord. Amen.

The L ORD has done what He purposed; He has accomplished His word.

L AMENTATIONS 2:17

T he older I become, the more I realize that living from my heart has value. I dont want to get into the trap of following everyone else because its the group thing to do. I want to live a life that is meaningful to me and my family. I want my decisions to be based on my Christian values not on what TV, Madison Avenue, and popular newsstand magazines tell me.

To live intuitively, we must have some quiet time to read and think. Hectic lives dont permit us to hear the heartbeat of our souls. When we are too busy, we dont have time to dwell on the important issues in life. I find that when Im rushed, I have an inner disturbance that prevents me from making well-thought-out decisions. When you and I are hurried, we have a tendency to harbor deep anger inside because we forget to set time aside for ourselves. Our personal growth comes to a standstill.

Life can present you with times of waiting when you face illness, caregiving, a trial, or even seasons of anticipating a great joy or change. But before you face such things, let yourself be directed to times of stillness before the Lord. Dwell on what your heart knows to be true, and you will discover a greater sense of Gods love and purpose for you.