Religion has accepted the monstrous heresy that noise, size, activity and bluster make a man dear to God. But we may take heart. To a people caught in the tempest of the last great conflict God says, “Be still and know that I am God,” and still He says it, as if He means to tell us that our strength and safety lie not in noise but in silence.
A.W. Tozer
This quotation from The Pursuit of God articulates my hearts deepest longing. To be still and know that He is God; to rest in His manifest Presence and simply be. Over the past couple of weeks here in Honduras I have been overcome with a burning desire to taste and see the Presence of God in all its fullness. Not to simply know He is near, but to truly Know that He is with me, and in me, and through me. So many of us have a knowledge about His life and Presence in our lives, but how many of us actually walk in its completeness? How many of us, and I am talking to those who call Christ their only hope and salvation, live in the endless depths of His all-consuming Presence? Any? I shudder to think what an extravagant life would result from such a reality: to know the very Presence of God so intimately that all else becomes but empty counterfeit in comparison. This is the reality I seek.
My time away from the distractions of typical daily life has allowed for increased amounts of silence and overall stillness in my day. The prolonged quiet and times of peace have brought forth stirring in my soul that have long been silenced by the clutter and noise of a lifestyle of business. However, the reality that one cannot live in such a continual state of silence without isolating one’s self from the outside world is inevitable. In fact, such seasons are not meant to last forever. They are for relief and renewal. The real question now is how does one walk in the quiet stillness amongst the chaos and constant noise of the world? In this answer lies the key to a life consumed by the very Presence of Christ: life to the fullest.
What is the answer? I say without shame that I do not yet know. Each individual will walk a different road and I have only just begun on my own journey, yet I walk with eager anticipation of where it may lead. The road is before me, His Presence beside me, and in the stillness I am beginning to recognize the gentle, but strong whispers of His voice.
“Where shall I go from your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from your Presence?” It is a truth that will not, nor cannot be shaken. Will I choose to answer, to position my life in response to the reality of His Presence in me as one of His own? I earnestly cry forth: yes! My soul is hungry for more and I will not be satisfied until all that is left in me is Christ alone. Until that day, I press on.
Journal Entry: September 23rd 2013
