“Then He said, ‘Go out, and stand on the mountain before the Lord.’ And behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind tore into the mountains and broke the rocks in pieces before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake; and after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire a still, small voice.” (1 Kings 19:11-12 NKJV)
Until our bodies, minds and spirits let go of the clutter we bring to our places of worship, we automatically tune out the still, small voice of God. Unless we come into stillness before God we do not detect either the fullness of His presence or the winsomeness of His voice.
-- Joyce Huggett in “The Joy of Listening to God”
You may want to make this your prayer as we come together for worship this Sunday:
Lord, I come to worship cluttered -- with noise in my mind, restlessness in my body, and distractions in my spirit. I confess that I often rush into church carrying the weight of my own agenda, forgetting that You are already there waiting for me. Teach me to release what I don’t need. Help me to place on the altar the mental lists, the emotional burdens, and the spiritual striving. Let me breathe deeply in Your presence, not to perform, but to just be.
Still my soul, Lord. Quiet my thoughts. Slow my heartbeat. Tune my ears so I can hear Your whisper -- the winsome voice that speaks peace, the gentle truth that heals, the holy presence that fills. I don’t want to miss You. So I choose stillness. I choose surrender. I choose You, Lord. Amen.
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