MEDITATION

Meditation begins at the foot of the Cross. Here the blood of Jesus cleanses you and prepares you for the miracle of communicating with Him.

This is the desire of God's heart: "Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him." (Psalm 37:7a)

Ministry, family, work, even play, can wear us down and leave us exhausted. Ministry, especially, can leave us spiritually exhausted. Then it is time to gather ourselves under "the shadow of the Almighty" (Psalm 91:1) and rest.

"When the angel met Elijah under the broom tree, he was totally out of gas...(I Kings 19:5-8). But Elijah needed more than a vacation to Mount Horeb. He required a complete overhaul of his spirit, because his inner resources were depleted. Instead of ministering, he needed to be ministered to for a while. This is true for many of God's choice servants..."(From "Standing Together" by Howard Hendricks)

This may be true of you. "Time out" may be just what you need for the Lord to do His work in your life. Nothing can take the place of that time alone with God.

"Are you exhausted spiritually? Spiritual exhaustion only comes through service, never sin, and whether or not you are exhausted will depend upon where you get your supplies.

"The process of being made broken bread and poured out wine means that YOU have to be the nourishment for other souls until they learn to feed on God. They must drain you to the dregs.

"Has the way in which you have been serving God betrayed you into exhaustion? If so, then rally your affections. Be exhausted for God, but remember that your supply comes from Him." (From "My Utmost for His Highest" by Oswald Chambers)

Meditation is one way to begin to restore your spirit.

"Meditation is thinking on the Scriptures and on the greatness and goodness of God, His ways, His attributes. It is allowing the powerful, living Word of God to penetrate your will and emotions. Meditation is gleaning--spiritually threshing through the counsel of God for words spoken directly to your heart, mind, and spirit." (From "In Touch" by Charles Stanley)

"In meditation the perpetual presence of the Lord moves from a theological dogma into a radiant reality. A reality akin to what the disciples felt in the upper room when they experienced both intense intimacy and awful reverence.

"In meditation we create the emotional and spiritual space which allows Christ to construct an inner sanctuary in the heart. The verse, "I stand at the door and knock..." was originally penned for believers, not unbelievers. (Rev. 3:20)

"We who have turned our lives over to Christ need to know how very much he longs to eat with us, to commune with us. He desires a perpetual Eucharistic feast in the inner sanctuary of the heart.

"Meditation is the one thing that can sufficiently redirect our lives so that we can deal with human life successfully. The church Fathers often spoke of Otium Sanctum, "holy leisure." It refers to a sense of balance in the life, an ability to be at peace through the activities of the day." From "Celebration of Discipline" by Richard J. Foster.

Are you ready for your personal prayer and meditative retreat?

Find a quiet place where you can be alone; a place free from distraction is best. Do not be discouraged if, in the beginning, you want to sleep a lot. This is normal. Give your mind and body an opportunity to relax and unwind in preparation for your time alone with God.

Lay down your expectations. Be still in your heart and quiet in your spirit and listen for God's Word to you.

Jesus prayed for you. "Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world.

"Righteous Father, though the world does not know you, I know you, and they know that you have sent me. I have made you known to them, and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them and that I myself may be in them." -From John 17-

God promised that when we are still before Him we will know Him. "Be still, and know that I am God." (Psalm 46:10a)

Are you ready to meet your Father? Go. Be with Him. He is waiting for you.

Back to Still Waters

---

© 1997, 1998 Susan Christ