On the Other Side of Silence - #JoyDare No. 2357

She walked at the water's edge in silence. The air was warm & wet and felt thick as her lungs sucked it in. The waters gently lapped the shore. The clouds on the horizon hid the sun which promised to rise and bring yet another balmy beach day.

The colors on the surf & the sand changed moment by moment. The beauty of it overwhelmed her. It was a painting from God that could never accurately be captured in a photo, no matter how many shots she took. 

She walked alone... watching others walking along together. Some were laughing at something the other one had said. Some were talking quietly to each other. Others were just holding hands, walking along together in silence. 

She dreamed of a day when that would happen for her. It was a day she'd dreamed of as a little girl... as a teen making her way through junior high & high school... as a young woman looking for love in her college days... as a young professional starting out in her chosen career. But, would it ever really come? Would it really happen for her?

She'd cried out to God for years now asking for a helpmate to share her journey. She'd watched loving parents who'd shared a wonderful life together. Her relationship with God had ebbed & flowed -- at her own choosing. Still, deep inside, she always knew that He cared & that He would provide... what was in His plan for her.

Sometimes the desires of our heart are set more in what we want to happen than what we are willing to allow to happen to bring glory to God. She knew that. But, she still cried out to God to find a mate to share her journey. The request had been made often. And, many times, her cries were silent... lacking words to express what she longed to have.

Life is full of such times... when we don't really know what to say, how or what to ask, what to expect, what to desire. It's in those times that God hears us most clearly, I think. 

"Deepest communion with God is beyond words, on the other side of silence." ~ Madeleine L'Engle

Days & years have passed from the day she snapped the photo above. God made a way for her to find a man of God -- a mate for life's journey. It wasn't the end all to her questions as she'd expected when a young woman. Many things in life have perplexed her. The world has tried to convince her that as she's aged, she's grown capable of answering most of life's questions. She still knows though... that many questions are beyond her reasoning and... that sometimes the silence is the best time to hear & to be heard.

"Be still &know that I am God..."  Psalm 46:10

#JoyDare No. 2357 times when I just don't know how to pray

Linking with Ann Voskamp - A Holy Experience today... 

NOTE: Due to a small book club group for women started in 2012 by a friend at my church, I actually picked up & read Ann Voskamp's book, One Thousand Gifts, in early 2012. I began listing gifts then & am planning to continue for years to come. It's a WONDERFUL way to remind myself of God's tender loving care for & faithfulness to me -- and to all his children! I've always been one to get super excited about the little things from God - seeing a mother deer & her fawns while out walking early in the morning, the way the clouds look on a cold -- but sunny -- winter day, the lighting or angle I was able to catch in a photo, the quiet snoring/breathing of the LOML as he sleeps beside me, new fuzzy socks or slippers, an apple right off my tree, etc. Often times my descriptions make no sense to anyone by me & God. So, I decided to expand upon those thoughts in a few posts. So... for today... 

#JoyDare No. 2357 times when I just don't know how to pray

Be Still... Get Peace!

What brings you peace? Do you feel peaceful in the hustle & bustle of life? I don't. Getting away from the hustle bustle brings me peace.

God's Word says that He will give us no more than we can bear... "The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure." 1 Corinthians 10:13 

And, God's Word also tells us to not worry about tomorrow... "So don't worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today's trouble is enough for today." Matthew 6:34. 

How can we balance that? Who doesn't play out what might happen tomorrow? Who doesn't try to figure things out "with the mind that God gave them"? As far as I'm concerned, the only way to keep the balance is to take time to be STILL & reflect upon the omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent God. I need to be still & KNOW that He is God... and, I am not! 

When I take time before Him, I stop trying to figure out all the what if's & the what won't be's. 

That, right over there to the left,
looks like peace to me. 

I don't know why but, I am overwhelmed with peace when I have a combination of sky, sea (waterfalls, creeks, lakes too!!), heights, sunrise or sunset & warm breezes. When my mind is racing & sleep is, once again, eluding me, I often picture a scene similar to this one in my mind. I almost always begin to relax, breath more steadily & drift off... away from the cares of the day and the hustle & bustle of my life.



God's Word gives us many reminders that peace can come from Him in every circumstance and in every season of life. Here are a few of my favorites: 

• "This is what the Sovereign LORD, the Holy One of Israel, says: "Only in returning to me and resting in me will you be saved. In quietness and confidence is your strength.In quietness & confidence, you will find your strength." Isaiah 30:15a 
• "Then you will experience God's peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:7
• "Oh, that you had listened to my commands! Then you would have had peace flowing like a gentle river and righteousness rolling over you like waves in the sea." Isaiah 48:18
• "Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth." Psalm 46:10

Do you have any favorite scriptures that bring you peace? So often we just need to calm down & be still in the presence of the Lord. What brings you peace when life is in turmoil?