quiet stillness

There comes a time in a person's life where, you must learn to submit yourself (entirely, might I add) to the Lord's will. This does not mean that your passions will cease to be. Oh no, quite the contrary. It actually feels as if they are intensified. Whether these passions consist of dreams, promises (yes, even godly ones) or desires, you ultimately do the same in all: you wait. As the psalmist said, "For God alone my soul waits in silence..." (Psalm 62:1). This waiting, this period of stillness before Him, is nothing more than a test of faith and perseverance in disguise. It is spiritual growth, maturity. However, stillness doesn't mean not doing anything. It means to take up the Father's business and do what He has commanded you to do; nothing more, nothing less. This waiting is measured in obedience. And obedience, ultimately, is dying to self.

"...and I realized that the deepest spiritual lessons are not learned by His letting us have our way in the end, but by His making us wait, bearing with us in love and patience until we are able honestly to pray what He taught His disciples to pray: Thy will be done. Acceptance of whatever that means is the great victory of faith that overcomes the world."

To be stripped of yourself and submit, to obey and follow, and do it all with a smile has become my latest task. I am entering spiritual adulthood. Never has a challenge from the Lord been so hard to give in to. But I will overcome and conquer. My life's purpose is to glorify His name, not my own. I love him with a love that leads me to death (even if it means my own). Such is the way of Calvary love.

"Love has entered the picture. Therefore in your heart, you can be very honest when you tell him you really prefer to do what he wants, because, more than your own pleasure, you want His. When obedience to God contradicts what I think will give me pleasure, let me ask myself if I love Him. A little quiet reflection will remind me that yes to God always leads in the end to joy."

This will be my first Christmas without my lovely parents, without my close friends. My comfort is Abba & my peace if my Prince. I shall have to count what I lost, gain. There is victory in losing, my friends! When Jesus hanged at the cross in public shame, it all looked liked the perfect picture of defeat. But He was risen, 3 days later, taking the keys of death from the hands of hell so that we could spend eternal glory with our Creator, the Lover of our souls. In the end, it was victory.

"Few things have the power to make us feel as sorry for ourselves as has loneliness. We feel marooned, cheated. Everyone else in the world seems to have somewhere to go, someone to be with, something to enjoy. We alone have been excluded."

To this I am called: obedience. At the present time, obedience is leading me to quiet stillness. The Cross is the attraction to this humble death and submission. Quiet obedience is vital to any of those who call themselves His followers. It is His glory we yearn for.

[quotes from Elisabeth Elliot (Passion & Purity).]