Sit in God’s Presence. Silently Wait.

I woke up and couldn’t sleep. A million thoughts ran through my mind.

Then, as I lay there and turned my thoughts heavenward, Jesus’s voice spoke in the darkness, “Peace I leave with you. Peace I give to you, not as the world gives, give I unto you.”

How did His voice “come to me?” Was it audible? No. Did I turn on a light and read John 14:27 in my Bible? No. His words were imprinted on my mind in 1982 when I received a letter from MD Anderson that I had stage 1 ovarian cancer. His words gave me peace during the following weeks while Keith and I visited oncologists and awaited further diagnosis. Praise God, another opinion stated it wasn’t cancer.  But during those weeks, Jesus’s voice was real to me. His promised peace was “out of this world,” as He stated. His voice of peace returned to me as I meditated on Him and His words.

Today’s tip on how to better discern God’s voice is, “Sit in God’s Presence. Silently Wait.”

Sit in God’s Presence

If we’re like most people, when our spirits are disturbed and our minds running rampant, we’re focused on a problem, a person for whom we’re concerned, a relationship, job stress, a sick child, or a million other issues. But by redirecting our minds to God, we open ourselves to His peace and guidance.

Psalm 4:3 comforts us, “Know that the Lord has set apart the godly man for Himself; the Lord hears when I call to Him.”

Psalm 4:4 instructs us, “Tremble and do not sin; meditate in your heart upon your bed, and be still.”

Jesus sat in God’s presence. Mark 1:35 records that “in the early morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house, and went away to a secluded place, and was praying there.”

The next time worry darkens your emotions like an unexpected storm, take control of your thoughts. Turn them heavenward. Intentionally sit in God’s presence.

Silently Wait

Have you ever stood at the kitchen faucet and placed your glass under it? Was your glass filled at once or did you have to wait for it to become filled with water?

Ephesians 5:18 instructs us to “be filled with the Spirit.” However, Christians often ignore God’s instruction. We’re stressed out, empty, strained, and drained. When we fail to sit in God’s presence and SILENTLY WAIT to be “filled” with His Spirit, stress and worry take a toll on us.

Notice the importance of the word “wait” in Acts 1:4. Gathering them together, He commanded them not to leave Jerusalem, but to WAIT for what the Father had promised, “Which,” He said, “you heard from Me.”

For what did Jesus tell the disciples to wait? For the Holy Spirit.

Do we wait for the filling of the Holy Spirit every day? Or, do we hurriedly read a few verses or a devotion; then rush out the door or check our email?  Filling our glass with water and filling our spirit with the Holy Spirit isn’t done in a split second. We hold our glass to the faucet and WAIT for our glass to be filled with water. We hold our spirit to the Lord and WAIT for our spirit to be filled with the Holy Spirit.

One meaningful way I’ve learned to hold my spirit to the Lord is by holding my an empty page of my prayer journal before Him. The empty lines and spaces are like the empty glass. The Bible verses I read and the impressions He places on my heart fill the empty lines and spaces, reflecting what He’s placing in my soul. I hope you’ll join me on the National Day of Prayer for Hill Country Ministries’ Prayer Journaling Coffee.

Jesus knew the stress and strain of this world. His voice comes to us and offers us peace that is out of this world. Will we sit in His presence? Will we be filled with His Spirit?

Heavenly Father, thank You for the gift of Your Spirit and of Your peace which is not of this world. In Jesus’s name, amen.