Yesterday we talked about stilling the soul, and what does that for you. It was based on Psalm 131 that says in part, "I still my soul and make it quiet...my soul is quieted within me."
Okay, so you're at your "quiet place," you're listening to music, reading devotional material, enjoying nature--and your soul is still. Everything chaotic in your life drops away.
What's next?
The psalm says, "wait upon the Lord." But what does that mean for us today?
Two possibilities, I think. First, be patient, and let that patience fill the quietness of your soul, so that when you return to that which troubles you, you might know that the Lord triumphs ultimately and definitively.
Second, I believe to wait upon the Lord in the quietness of your soul means to listen, really listen for God. And listening is hard work. It involves emptying oneself and letting God in--without worrying about what to say, defenses to make, excuses to render. Just listen Don't worry that you don't "hear" anything. Don't prepare your answer ahead of time. Just listen quietly.
You may think that I'm going to say, "If you do this, you'll hear God in some way." I make no such claim. But the quieting of the soul, the listening--the openness to God--that is enough. It is time well spent.
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