The Power of Quiet

There are times when laundry takes over my house. Piles build up, though I try to stay on top of them. Many of the clothes are clean and even folded, but not put away. That tricky put-away-part is always hard for me.

Then there are the socks. Oh, the socks! They burden me so! I’m half tempted to believe that a great sock nation exists, and that sock-soldiers are on a secret mission to destroy my testimony by driving me crazy. Divide and conquer. That’s what they do! Why can’t socks just behave? Why can’t they ever stay in pairs, and where am I supposed to put the socks that remain unmatched? (Insert dramatic sigh here…) Unmatched socks and folded-but-not-put-away-laundry tie me up in knots. I don’t like to admit it, but sometimes days go by before I make the time to put them away.

Is it just me?

I’ve come to realize that my days can be a lot like my laundry situation. At times they get piled up with “busy.” Sabbath gets squeezed out. Now, when I say Sabbath, I mean the priority of sitting before the Lord just to sit with Him … quietly … expectantly … to listen. Though I do include God in my days and breathe prayers throughout, when I don’t sit before the Lord – and exercise the spiritual discipline of being quiet before God – it seems that both old and new burdens can tie my heart into a frazzled knot.

It had been one of those weeks. Knots. Knots. Knots. Then I finally remembered the power of quiet. As I sat in the cool still of the morning with a hot mug of coffee in my hand and the warming presence of God in my soul, the burdens of my heart began to drift away. Direction came. Joy resounded. Mercy rained. Peace … deep peace fell.

It was when the companion of God’s Spirit had begun to transform my soul, my thoughts, my goals, and my day that I realized, as if I had slumbered half the week away … this is where they go. This is where my burdens belong. The old ones that I’ve written about time and time again in my prayer journal and the new ones that are just beginning to unravel from my heart. This is where they go! I just needed to put my continuous stream of life-burdens away like the unending piles of laundry. Then … order, soul order. Peace, compelling peace. Joy, divine joy. It all comes.

I sat in wonder. Still. In His presence. Convicted of my failure to remember the power of being quiet before the Lord. “Of course this is where they go. I knew that. I knew that. Lord, forgive me. Oh, how I’m thankful for your daily mercy showers.”

Jesus tells all who believe that we should go to Him. “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light” (Matthew 11:28-30).

When our lives get too busy … when the laundry piles up in our homes and the burdens pile up in our hearts, we often forget the power of quiet. The power of being still before God. The power of listening, expecting, soul-pouring … receiving rest. His presence sorts souls and never leaves an unmatched burden. His presence never leaves an un-lifted burden.

Take some time to power-down and be still before Him right now. Remember the power of quiet as you exchange your burdens for His peace.

The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters; he restores my soul (Psalm 23:1-3a, NIV).

In HIS Rest,
Gwen