A friend and I were spending some time with God together this week, contemplatively praying with Psalm 1: 1-3.  The words that stood out for me in these verses were, “leaves do not wither.”

How does a person make sure one’s leaves do not wither? It sounds like what a resilient, lifelong disciple would look like. Part of our contemplation time was to slowly go through a magazine and notice what images jumped out to us and stick them on a page.  I noticed this image of a tree.  

It reminded me of a discussion I had led during the week with some Children’s Leaders about discipleship pathways.  I had shown them a diagram of a discipled person as a tree - rooted in Christ (roots), built on Christ (trunk), and living for Christ (branches and leaves).  The caption under this tree in the night picture told of Antoine Saint Exupery (best known for his novella, The Little Prince) observing that night is, “when words fade, and things come alive.”

Trees do their “breathing”, their regenerating and refreshing at night (photochrome).  They give out oxygen to us (photosynthesis) during the daylight hours.  I have found over my life , as I have come out of “night times” or “dark” periods, that it was in those times that a lot “came alive”.  Roots went deeper, I was made more fully alive and was regenerated.  However in  the “night times”, my words often faded.  Sometimes all I managed to do was reach out and grab a hold of the edge of Jesus cloak.  I couldn’t see His face and sometimes felt so distraught and in darkness, that I couldn’t speak to Him.  All I could do was hold on – that was enough! 

My words had faded. 

 

 A few weeks ago, my 21 year old son asked me, “How is it after 29 years, you and Dad still have things to talk about?”  He was interested, as he is navigating through his first serious relationship!  I told him that communication is one of my personality strengths, and words of affirmation is my love language.  I love to verbally express my emotions and thoughts and Dad has learned to listen and respond in a way that he knows I love and respond to.  But we have also gotten to a place in our relationship, where sometimes we do not need to use words to feel close to each other.  We can sit in silence, and know we are in each other’s presence and are safe and loved.  It is a wonderful place to be.  Both fully alive, but silent.

I have experienced the deep joy and peace of communing with Jesus in a space where words don’t matter. A beautiful, alive place where we are in each other’s presence, but no words are spoken and even thoughts are stilled.

Ps 131 is one of my favourite Psalms.

My heart is not proud, Lord, my eyes are not haughty;

I do not concern myself with great matters or things too wonderful for me.
But I have calmed and quieted myself,

I am like a weaned child with its mother; like a weaned child I am content.

Israel, put your hope in the Lord both now and forevermore.

This it is not a psalm of praise or thanksgiving but of quietness.  When words and thoughts fade away; God is still praised in silent wonder and adoration.

Dallas Willard, authour of Emotionally Healthy Spirituality,  notes that silence and solitude are the most radical spiritual disciplines yet are the least experienced by Christians today.   Silence is a humble space, a total emptying of yourself while avoiding the urge to fill the space with distracting noise - a total surrendering to God.   

“calmed and quieted myself” – maybe we don’t want to do this because we are afraid of what will be exposed in this intimate place with God.  But we are invited there, not to be indecently undone, but to be immersed in His love.  Not to be condemned but to know His deep peace.    In this calmed and quieted place, the Holy Spirit can pour in His unconditional love. 

In this spiritual practice known as of centering prayer, it may not just be you who is silent – God may not say anything either.  This place of stillness and silence is a place without expectation of results or revelation.  It is a place to just be.  A place to regenerate, to become more rooted and to keep your leaves from withering.

We have been having some crisp autumn mornings in Christchurch this week, so I decided that bed was the best place to have some time with God today!  Eventually, I finally got out to the kitchen to have breakfast while continuing to chat with God.  I was meant to be leading a Children’s Leaders Regional Cluster meeting in an hour and I wanted to start with something to really encourage and uplift them in this 3^rd week of lockdown - an amazing verse from the Bible or an inspirational quote - but I had NOTHING.  I felt totally drained and empty! 

As I opened my fridge, I felt God remind me about a book in my lounge, so I found it and flicked through it while I ate my toast.    

The book is, Thoughts To Make Your Heart Sing, by Sally Lloyd-Jones, the same lady who wrote The Jesus Storybook Bible.

My eye was drawn to the page below, probably because birds or images of birds have been a way that God has profoundly spoken to me in the past on many occasions.

Job 12: 7-10

“But ask the animals, and they will teach you, or the birds in the sky, and they will tell you;  or speak to the earth, and it will teach you, or let the fish in the sea inform you. Which of all these does not know that the hand of the Lord has done this?  In his hand is the life of every creature and the breath of all mankind.

Sally Lloyd-Jones wrote, 

Did you know God wants us to be bird watchers?  He says:

Look at the sparrow: they are not very important and yet I love them all and know all about them.  How much more must I love you?

Look at the ravens: they don’t sow or reap.  They have no barns or pantries. Yet I feed them.  How much more will I look after you?

Look at the storks:  they go away but they always come home. Be always coming home to me!

Be like little birds who know their Heavenly Father loves them and will take care of them.

Be like the birds who look to me for what they need at the proper time – look to me for EVERYTHING!

This reminded me of the verses in Matthew 6:26-27

“Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?  Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?”

What a weight lifted off my shoulders in that moment.  I “know” this verse, have taught on it many times, but it was as if it was fresh and nourishing food for me that morning. I love how the Word of God is living and active.

I don’t need to worry:  Have I done enough to reach out to the children during this lockdown? Are parents using the resources I have emailed out?  Are my leaders ok? Have I made enough phone calls or had enough Zoom meetings?  How many reactions have I had to the Facebook posts?

Have I given enough? Should I be doing more? What else can I give?

I have nothing else!

What a relief to be reminded that my God has EVERYTHING I need.   He has EVERYTHING our families need.  All He asks me to do is simply look to Him for EVERYTHING! 

Play with God

At this time, I have heard from several parents who say they have noticed how their children have been very happy and settled over the past few weeks and have been enjoying more attention from their parents.  One mum said to me that her 2 year old was wandering around the house singing almost all day long!!  Maybe some parents have had more time to PLAY with their children too.   Maybe they have had more time to just hang out with their kids without the normal distractions, after school activities and events that fill our lives.  Just to BE.

While I acknowledge this may not be the case in all homes, it led me to wonder, what God’s invitation to me was in this. 

Psalm 131 v2 (TPT)

“I am humbled and quieted in your presence.  Like a contented child who rests on its mother’s lap.  I’m your resting child and my soul is content in you.”

What does it look like for me to be like a child, resting in the lap of Jesus?  What does it look like for me to PLAY with Jesus?  Not to have any agenda, no list of things to talk about, but just to hang out, laugh and just to BE. 

V3 goes on to say, “O people of God, your time has come to quietly trust, waiting upon the Lord now and forever”. 

I would like to replace my name in this verse, maybe you would too.  “Rachel, your time has come to quietly trust, waiting up the Lord, now and forever”.

There are many things that can run helter-skelter though our minds at this time, but I choose to just BE.

Be still and know that I am God.

Be still and know that I am.

Be still and know.

Be still.

Be.