My Most Imperative Appointment

God is Calling Me to Be Still. Resting in God’s Love, pt. 2

An Unintended Sabbatical

Greetings Substack subscribers and others, I hope discover this post! I’ve taken a month off from writing to recover from some personal and family trauma. I’ve wanted to write often, but I clearly heard the Lord saying, “Wait.” After a two week trip to Texas, during which my wife’s father, 93, was hospitalized, had surgery, experienced kidney failure, passed away after a few days, and was buried. God was gracious and gave us good moments, but the reality is that death is traumatic, and we came home more mentally, emotionally, and physically exhausted than we’ve ever been. It’s taken the last 2 weeks to recover. Spiritually, we were good. We just clung to Jesus with all our might. With Paul, we declared, “¹⁸ So we do not focus on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.” 2 Corinthians 4:18.

During this unintended sabbatical, God called me to go deep with Him and to examine and reexamine what I believe and proclaim. Does Soul Care really work? Is it worth the time and effort? Is Belovedness really real? Does God give a rip about our lives, especially when we’re in suffering and pain?

I’ve got good news! I’ve tested it. Yes, it does work; it is worth it; and Belovedness is real! To answer, does God give a rip? He led me to Psalm 143:8,

8 Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in you. Show me the way I should go, for to you I entrust my life.

He is there and He is not silent. Every morning, He brings me word of his unfailing love.

Now with this explanation of my absence, I will share Resting in God’s Love Pt.2. By the way, a good number of new subscribers and followers have signed up during this month. Thank you!!! My plan now is to write about twice a week.

Resting In God’s Love

Rest – I’ve never needed rest, real, true rest in my life more than I do now. Life is messy, hectic, and stressful. There is a rest that God promises. He promises it . . . if we follow His way!

Why are we so tired? Why are we so rushed? Sprinting all the time – Is that your life? Jesus promised, "I have come that they may have life and that they may have it more abundantly." (John 10:10) Are you experiencing abundant life today?

The heart of God calls out: "Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls." (Jeremiah 6:16, NIV)

Learning to “Be” is an indispensable ancient path. “Be still, and know that I am God.” (Psalm 46:10).

The U.S. Surgeon General recently released a report saying that parental stress is an urgent health crisis. Parents in the U.S. are overwhelmed and burned out with the “dizzying pace” of the world. 48% of parents said, “Most days their stress is completely overwhelming.” If you’re a parent reading this, you probably say, “Yep, yep, and yep.”

The answer? Learn to “Be still with God.” Meeting God in silence and stillness is a wonderful way to rest in Him and His love.

A New Rhythm for Living

The discipline of silence, stillness, and solitude was not a regular part of my life until about seven years ago. That’s when I heard Stephen Smith of Potter’s Inn say that his spiritual life transformed when he began spending time with the Father in silence.

I was stunned. I was a doer. I was an achiever. Sitting with God in silence was not part of my walk with God. Should it be? I was attending that Soul Care retreat seeking healing and renewal. Was this a missing key to deeper intimacy with God I’d been searching for? It was. I’ve incorporated silence into my spiritual rhythm since 2018.

It has been transformative. This time of silence with the Lord is a love gift I give to Jesus and myself. I practice silence to just “be” with the one I love.

Spending time with Jesus in silence is a vital aspect of embracing Belovedness. In silence, I can be with my Beloved, and He with me. No agenda. No questions, No notes. We just be. And in this being together, I rest in His love and I find rest for my soul.

I picture Jesus seated under a tree on the day some parents brought their children to Him. The disciples rebuffed them, but Jesus strongly rebuked the disciples and welcomed the children. He took them in his arms and blessed them. I’m convinced that he called them Beloved. (By the way, don’t ever get between Jesus and a child!)

Jesus greets me under my Beloved tree every morning. He waits there for me to run and jump into his arms. It’s the most precious time of my day.

Psychiatrist and author Curt Thompson says, every person craves to be seen, soothed, safe, and secure. Jesus fulfills all of those daily under my Beloved tree. He fully sees and soothes (comforts) me. In His arms, I am safe and secure. This morning I openly wept as I rested in His arms and meditated on the gift God has given me to be seen, soothed, safe, and secure.

I desire to begin my day with 10 to 20 minutes of silence with Jesus. That may sound overwhelming to you, but let’s remember that anything worthwhile takes time. It will take intentionality and focus. Think about it, however, could anything be more important than resting in God’s love?

As you begin, commit to about 5 minutes in the morning. Seek to do 5 minutes in the evening, too. Just be still and silent before the Lord.

This is about the person you are with, and being present in His presence. This is about enjoying Him and being seen, soothed, safe, and secure.

Staying Focused

How do I stay focused? I use a centering phrase like Abba, Father, or Jesus, Jesus. These phrases remind me that it is about the person I’m with. In the room where I do my silence, there is a bookcase. As I begin, I place my to-do list and all my worries on that bookcase. You might need to build an imaginary (or real) bookcase for your worries and to-dos. It’s so important that you go into silence ready to be still and be with the one you love.

How do I handle stray or distracting thoughts? The enemy of our souls will fight this time of silence with God. When I initiated this practice, my mind would be flooded with voices and images of shame, blame, pain, and failure. It was awful and discouraging! But I would continually use the centering phrases, and I added I love you, Lord, and Speak, Lord. Saying I love you, Lord prompted me to sing (silently) the beautiful chorus, I love you, Lord, and I lift my voice to worship You, oh, my soul rejoice. As my spirit repeated that over and over, those voices retreated, and my place of worship with the Father was restored.

One person, attempting to be in silence with God, exclaimed, “It’s like 10,000 distracting thoughts intruded my mind!” A wise person responded, “Rejoice, brother, you just had 10,000 opportunities to return to God.”

Amen! I persevered in the discipline of silence, and those intruding voices have receded. Today, they didn’t arise at all.

I’d love to hear your thoughts and questions. Please tell me how, when, and where you spend your silence with the Father.

An additional resource: Ending my day with my heart and mind resting in God’s love is crucial. The beautiful voices on the Lectio 365 app utilize scripture and prayer to prompt me to reflect on God’s grace, love, forgiveness, and presence as I fall asleep. Often, I fall asleep as it plays softly in my ear. Find it here.

The Lectio 365 app also features a morning and midday audio devotional. Instead of checking my phone for texts or news, I begin my day with Jesus. My 20 minutes of silence will follow soon after.