| Good morning everyone, Our theme for this month: “How to inhabit time” Our Bible verse for today: “Be still and know that I am God.” Psalm 42:10 (NIV) Our thought for today: “Make time for quiet reflection” Yesterday was my day off and so I went for a long hike on a favorite trail. It was raining most of the day, sometimes hard, but I was dressed for it and it was warm, around 60. At one point I sat on the riverbank, in the rain, under an umbrella, and just watched the winding river gently flowing towards me. It was a beautiful woodsy scene, tranquil, and very peaceful. In my head I kept hearing Psalm 42:10, over and over again, “Jim, be still and know that I am God. Just be still and know that I am God.” It was the most relaxed and peaceful I have felt in a long time. As we end our two-month study of how to inhabit time, I want to encourage all of us to slow down a bit and to be more reflective. That’s what Psalm 46:10 calls us to. When we do that, not only will we find deep peace for that moment, but the Holy Spirit also uses that quiet and reflective time to clear our minds and to help bring the rest of life into focus. He will often help us to see things we missed, or to understand things that confused us. Do you know what a contrail is? It’s that white vapor trail we often see high in the sky that was left by a passing jet airplane. The plane has long-since past, but the vapor trail remains behind and is visible evidence that the plane had been there. Likewise, the Holy Spirit leaves contrails. It’s the evidence that He was present and active in our lives. But often we’re so busy and distracted that we’re unaware of his presence and activity. Quite reflection helps us to see the evidence of His activity in our lives more clearly, even if only in retrospect. Quite reflection is helpful for multiple reasons. One is that it can reinforce and strengthen our faith. As mentioned, we can often see God and His activity in our lives better in retrospect than in real-time. But once we do see it, even looking backwards, we’re strengthened and encouraged by that realization. Another reason such reflection is helpful is because the more we learn to see the presence and activity of the Spirit in retrospect, the more attuned we will be to Him in real-time. Quiet reflection increases our sensitivity to and awareness of the presence of the Spirit here and now. I encourage all of us to make more time for quiet, thoughtful, prayerful reflection. It’s one of the most helpful things we can do to truly appreciate and enjoy life. God bless, Pastor Jim (Join us every Sunday morning at 10:00, live online at http://www.YouTube.com/oakhillbaptistcrossville) |
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