Sometimes we need to trust the Lord
Overwhelmed, surrounded by noise and stress, we need to trust the Lord.
Everyone has moments when life is hard. We may feel stressed by responsibilities at home, work, or school. It may seem we are surrounded by noise - external sounds from electronic devices, television, traffic, or people, or the interior noise of worry, anxiety, confusion, or frustration. Many of us proceed through the days and weeks of our lives without giving these things much thought until something happens - a new situation arises, conflict with a co-worker or family member erupts, or there is an accident and suddenly, we reach saturation, the breaking or boiling point.
Living as a disciple does not eliminate the noise or frustration, but commitment to Christ does make a difference. When we are stressed and overwhelmed, it is time to draw on our faith more deeply. Like the Caananite woman who trusted in God’s healing care, we place our needs in the hands of the Lord.
Sometimes we need to step away
On a mountain, in a cave, or a quiet corner at home, it’s time to step away.
Elijah stepped outside, listening, seeking God in a time of trial. He may have expected God to appear in a show of might and strength. Rather, God was found in a small whispering voice. Awestruck, Elijah listened to the Lord.
Jesus took Peter, James and John high on a mountain. They likely thought they were simply on a walk with Jesus, or perhaps they expected they would take time to pray as Jesus often did alone. Stepping away from the cares and the demands of daily life, they experienced Jesus transfigured. They were given a glimpse of the glory of God. Hearing God’s voice telling them to listen to the Lord, they were filled with awe. With new perspective and their fears calmed by the Lord, they rose and continued their journey with him.
Sometimes we need to step away from the busyness of life in order to look and listen for signs of God’s abiding presence with and within us. Not only should we step away, we should bring our lives - the good and the difficult, all that we wonder about and that which concerns us - to our quiet place with the Lord.
Sometimes we need a flash of insight
Glimpse divine grandeur and see anew. View the world in a fresh, new light.
When we take time away to be with God in quiet reflection, we open ourselves to gain the perspective we need, let go of fear and frustration, and meet the circumstances of our lives in the presence of God’s goodness and grace.
“ “In the lives of disciples, however, something else must come before the practice of stewardship. They need a flash of insight - a certain way of seeing - by which they view the world and their relationship to it in a fresh, new light. “The world is charged with the grandeur of God,” Gerard Manley Hopkins exclaims; more than anything else, it may be this glimpse of the divine grandeur in all that is that sets people on the path of Christian stewardship. Not only in material creation do people discern God present and active, but also, and especially, in the human heart.””
Where is your quiet place? What do you need to do to find the time to step away to bring your life to the Lord? How might you open yourself to a flash of insight, to the goodness and grace of God, to view the world and your relationship to it in a fresh, new light?