The Quiet Place That Restores

There was a season when my early mornings were pretty intense.

I had my prayer lists. I prayed spiritual warfare out loud. I spent time binding and loosing and praying over everything I could think of.

At the time, I believed that was what I was supposed to be doing. I was sincere about it. But if I'm truthful, sometimes I finished those mornings more tired than when I started.

Then the Lord began teaching me something about surrender.

Some of that came through the words of someone I trusted. I began to realize that maybe I didn't have to manage every battle. Maybe I didn't need to spend my time telling God everything that needed to happen.

Maybe I needed to be quiet.

That realization began to change my time with the Lord. The battles didn't suddenly disappear. The circumstances didn't all change.

I changed.

I started learning to sit quietly before the One who already knew what I needed, what my family needed, and what was happening in the world around me.

As I have spent more time in solitude and silence, I have also started noticing how often this appears in Scripture.

Jesus understood the need to get away.

When the disciples returned from ministry, there were so many people coming and going that they didn't even have time to eat. Jesus told them, “Come aside by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while.”

He didn't tell them to work harder. He took them away.

Jesus Himself would rise early in the morning and go to a solitary place to pray. After feeding the thousands, He sent everyone away and went up on the mountain alone. Scripture tells us repeatedly that He withdrew to quiet places.

If Jesus made room for solitude with the Father, I certainly need it.

I think about Elijah too.

After everything that happened on Mount Carmel, Elijah was exhausted and afraid. And when God met him, He wasn't in the great wind. He wasn't in the earthquake. He wasn't in the fire.

Then came the still small voice.

There are examples throughout Scripture. Moses spent time alone with God on the mountain. David met God in caves and wilderness places and wrote words that still encourage us today. Mary sat at the feet of Jesus while Martha was busy with everything that needed to be done. Habakkuk went to the watchtower and waited to hear what God would say.

There is something here I don't want to miss.

For much of my life, I have been a doer. There was always something that needed my attention. Raising a family. Providing. Working. Solving problems. Carrying responsibilities. And even my prayer life could become another place where I was doing.

God has been teaching me something different.

Sometimes the most important thing I can do is stop.

Sit. Listen. Be with Him.

That doesn't mean prayer isn't important. It doesn't mean spiritual warfare isn't real. It doesn't mean we become passive about the things God has called us to do.

For me, it means remembering where my strength actually comes from.

I don't have to carry everything into my quiet time and then carry it all back out again. I can leave some things there.

This doesn't require hours every day. Sometimes the deserted place may simply be a chair by the window before everyone wakes up. It might be a quiet walk. It might be a few minutes without a phone, music, television, or another voice filling the silence.

Just me and the Lord.

I'm learning that those moments aren't wasted time. They may be some of the most important moments of my day.

Because when I get quiet enough to stop telling God what I think needs to happen, I make room to hear what He might want to say to me.

And often, that is exactly what I needed all along.