The Quiet Place

A Quiet Place

Mark 6:31

³¹ Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, he said to them, “Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.”

“Come away to a quiet place”…………is there such a thing as a quiet place anymore? 

We can all relate to the business in our lives what with our work, families, our music, television, video games, little league games, dance lessons, school, homework and yes even church.

Is there really a quiet place we can go to other than our bed, as we fall into it half unconscious and sleep only to get up and do the same thing again the next day? 

Really, this has been a way of life for me most of my adult life.  I am one of those type A personalities that tries to tuck into the day all the multi-tasking I can.  Have you ever come home from work or school tired and mentally drained, and all you want to do is just lay your head down and close your eyes in a quiet place for just a few minutes. 

Maybe when you get to be my age you can do that, but for some of you young mothers that still have children at home it is just not possible.  Please, I remember, when my kids would get home from school, there was always some kind of practice to go to.  Dinner to prepare, dishes to clean, washing to get done so those all important practice uniforms could be clean for the next day, and oh yes, homework that was quickly becoming over my head, but I didn’t dare let on that I didn’t understand. 

I think in today’s world we as wives, mothers, career women, and those of us who volunteer in some capacity might all find it difficult to eliminate hurry from our lives long enough to go to a quiet place. 

In the book, “The Life You’ve Always Wanted”,  written by John Ortberg, he quotes someone by the name of Carl Jung stating, “hurry is not of the devil, hurry is the devil.” 

Ortberg also writes,  “We seem to be under the illusion that if we hurry it will buy us more time. When in reality it can destroy our souls.  Not that we will renounce our faith but we could become so preoccupied and distracted that we settle for less than what God has for us.  We become less effective for the Kingdom of God.  Even Jesus felt the need to pull away from the crowds of people, for instance when he chose his disciples in”.

Luke 6:12 – 13  

 ¹² One of those days Jesus went out to a mountainside, and spent the night praying to God.

¹³ When morning came, he called his disciples to him and chose twelve of them, whom he also designated, apostles.

Matthew 14:23

²³ After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray.
God wants us to come away by ourselves to a quiet place.  Silence always involves listening.  Just to stop talking without listening to God is not silence.  I am going to give you 4 little moments of silence that fills our day. Moments you might not have even thought about.
 
Consider early morning in bed before you get out of bed. 
One thing I remember a friend saying was before he gets up in the morning he thinks about the Lord’s Prayer.

The 23 Psalm

THE LORD is my Shepherd [to feed, guide, and shield me], I shall not lack.

    ²He makes me lie down in [fresh, tender] green pastures; He leads me beside the still and restful waters.
    ³He refreshes and restores my life (my self); He leads me in the paths of righteousness [uprightness and right standing with Him--not for my earning it, but] for His name's sake.
    ⁴Yes, though I walk through the [deep, sunless] valley of the shadow of death, I will fear or dread no evil, for You are with me; Your rod [to protect] and Your staff [to guide], they comfort me.  ⁵You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with ^[a]oil; my [brimming] cup runs over.
    ⁶Surely only goodness, mercy, and unfailing love shall follow me all the days of my life and through the length of my days the house of the Lord [and His presence] shall be my dwelling place.

When you have that first cup of coffee in the morning, invite Jesus to come and sit with you before the day begins.  You probably have not thought about Jesus waiting for you to wake up, and now that you’re awake he wants to spend some time with you.

When you’re stopped at one of those traffic lights that you think will never give you a green light to turn is an opportunity to just say the name of Jesus, it brings such peace.

This is my personal favorite: 
Step outside just before dusk and experience the gift of a beautiful sunset, or just before you go to bed step out and listen to the night.

The Consecrated Place
³ The LORD said to Solomon in

1 Kings 9:3

“I have heard the prayer and plea you have made before me; I have consecrated this temple, which you have built, by putting my Name there forever. My eyes and my heart will always be there.”

In this passage Solomon had finished building the temple of the Lord and the royal palace.  God appeared to him and assured him his eyes and heart would always be there.

In a Wednesday night Bible study we learned how to choose a quiet place to experience the presence of God.  We choose the place and God will consecrate it. “His eyes and his heart will always be there.”  We were taught to anoint our place with oil.

 ⁹ “Take the anointing oil and anoint the tabernacle and everything in it; consecrate it and all its furnishings, and it will be holy. 

(In your case the place you have chosen as your quiet place)

This could be a spare bedroom, the end of your sofa, your dining table, a place to go where you can wait, and listen. To rest in the arms of Peace.  Come to that place with expectation of meeting Him there.  Just sit quietly before the Lord, sometimes talking can block the power of God.  Concentrate on Him and let Him minister to you. 

Can you just imagine choosing your quiet place and anointing it with oil and everything around you there, and then allowing God to consecrate that place.  A place God calls holy “His eyes and his heart will always be there.”

Scripture says,
Psalm 37:7
Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him.

In  Lamentations 3:25-26
25 “The Lord is good to those whose hope is in Him, to the one who seeks Him; 26 “it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord.” 
So find a little time in your day and wait for Him and allow the power of the Holy Spirit to flow over you.  For me, the more I go to my consecrated place the sooner I hear from God.  Also for me, having my worship music playing softly in the background seems to prepare me to enter into his presence.

Story of Teddy

When I first began to go to my consecrated place I actually experienced what I will call a miracle in my own life. 

* I have never been an animal lover and really didn’t want them around me at all. We had dogs as our children grew up, but for me the further away the dog the better. 
One morning about 4 ½ years ago as I began my praise and worship in my consecrated place at the end of the sofa,  I got up and started to walk, the more I walked the more I found myself worshiping.  
Then I felt the Holy Spirit come over me and as I looked around I saw our large 100 lb. mixed breed Lab looking at me through the glass patio door.  By that time I was just blubbering from the presence of the Holy Spirit.
At that moment when I saw Teddy a love for that animal came over me that I had never felt for some humans, much less a dog.  I ran to that dog grabbed him up and began to hug him. I think Teddy was just as astonished as I was.  I looked around to make sure nobody else was watching me, wondering if I had lost my mind.

Let me tell you God is so good.  I didn’t know it at the time but Teddy was dying.  A few months later he did die with Congestive Heart Failure. God allowed me to experience a love for him in his last days that I had never felt before.  God changed me in an instant, and that change has carried over to this day.

My adult kids look at me and shake their heads in unbelief at the change God made in me. Lovell and I have a small Maltese named Buddy that we love dearly.  He has enriched my life greatly. 

I am so grateful for that day when I sat down with the Lord to spend some quiet time with him in my consecrated place. God not only changed my heart for animals he also gave me a softer heart for people.  He truly changed my heart.

There is one more place I call my quiet place and it is out side on my deck in my swing.  I am awed by God’s creation.  I have seen some of the most incredible sunsets you could ever want to see.  Just being quiet and letting God visit with me a few minutes while the sun is going down has been at times an awesome experience.

I have been a Christian for over 35 years.  I’ve seen a lot and experienced a lot, some good and some bad, and probably more than most.  But God still touches my heart in ways that cause me to weep in his presence. 

I have to be honest though and say I don’t always take the time to sit down with him.  Sometimes my quiet place is turning off all the noises in the house and going about my day thinking about Him, praying to Him, singing to Him and trying to leave my burdens at His feet. 

Jesus says, “Come away with me to a quiet place and get some rest.” His eyes and his heart will be there.

Father we all have busy lives that demand our thoughts and time.  Please, Lord cause us to come away with you to the quiet place and experience your presence and rest. 

Jackie