This is what the Sovereign Lord, the Holy One of Israel, says: ‘In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength, but you would have none of it. Isaiah 30:15
So far, this year has been amazing but super busy. Most days I feel like I’m running around in circles just trying to get a few steps forward. Then I have days where I feel like I accomplish a lot, but there’s no real significance. Do you ever feel like this? Maybe we stay busy because we are trying to save ourselves from something – heartache, failure, loss. Perhaps it’s because we are trying to save something for ourselves – money, power, reputation, stuff… The list goes on and on. Sometimes, life begins to feel like a huge carnival ride that’s stuck in on position. We learn to make the best of it and try not to barf on ourselves or others. Unfortunately, this describes my Christian walk a lot of the time. Sometimes I feel the more I just smile and do, the better I will become.
This theology is preached a lot with our lives but never really shows up in the pages of holy scripture. Take a look at the life of Jesus in the gospels, a quick peek at Isaiah 30, or Psalm 46 and you begin to realize we need to stop the ride, maybe even jump off completely.
Two weeks ago, a spiritual mentor reminded me of the incredible need for stillness in my life. After our talk, I realized I had to evacuate the carnival ride of the christian walk. The ride where going and doing are necessities and presenting a good costume is key. Instead, I need to be real and really still. I need to be quiet before God. I need to stop striving and start listening. Maybe these are things we all need?
I am learning to be still this year and to rest in God. It is also my prayer for all Christ followers. In this crazy, loud world we live in, it is my hope that we will all slow down. Out of this hope, a little compilation CD was born —The Stillness Project. It’s some of my old songs and a few new ones. I’m giving it away with the help of Noise Trade. My prayer is that these songs will speak to you and encourage you to be still and listen. Maybe in the quiet, you will hear God whisper in your ear, ever so sweetly, a resounding, I love you. May we all learn to be still. May we all truly realize that in repentance and rest (in Christ) is our salvation, in quietness and trust (in Christ) is our strength.
“Be still and know that I am God”. Psalm 46:10a
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