Finding God in the Stillness

The Lord is wonderfully good to those who wait for Him and seek Him. So it is good to wait quietly for salvation from the Lord. – Lamentations 3:25-26

This morning I walked into the sunrise. The air was so cold it froze my breath into a fog that shattered, falling to the ground like a broken bottle. I grasped hold of my turtleneck with my fingers and heaved it securely over my mouth and nose, shrugging my shoulders and pulling my arms tight against my chest, I peered over my knuckles. I held the collar tight with my hands and breathed a long, deep puff of air into my shirt. There was that fog again.

The sky lay streaked with lines of angry clouds, dark and dingy –like the tinge of gray that happens when the whites are washed with the jeans. A purple glow fell just beyond the angry sky. The mountain stretched past that, reaching majestically toward the heavens and just to the right, was the edge of sunrise.

I’d never considered the edge of sunrise before – never questioned what it held or why it was. I’d only enjoyed its beauty, only taken in what peace I could gather from its existence.
How often have I stood and took in the sun and all its aspects? Hundreds of times. Sunrise, sunset, mid-day sun, afternoon sun – yet I’d never considered the possibility of waiting quietly for its message. So often we view the beauty the Father has placed before us but we never
wait to see what message it holds. God speaks to us in many ways yet we rarely have our eyes or ears tuned into what may be blatantly strewn before us.

Learning to wait on God is hard. I find myself giggling my foot or tapping my toes impatiently against the hardwood floor, encouraging the passing of time. When I really want to seek after Him, and find Him I need to look into the quiet and stillness. That’s where God is. That’s where He waits to share encouragement, hope, and love for me. The quiet is where He speaks in that still soft voice and where I can hear it echo clearly through my heart. The key is cocking my head ever so slightly to the side, squinting my eyes, then holding my breath. All I hear is the pulsing of my heart. Then suddenly as clear as a bell, His voice comes through.

“I wondered when you’d come. Enjoy the sunrise?”

“Yes, it’s amazing how the purple tint pushes away the anger of the darkness.”

“Nice, you caught that. I’m pleased.” The Father said as He rubbed his fingers across His chin.

“Oh, and I saw this side of the sunrise and I wondered who stood on the other side. And if they could see what I saw?”

“Interesting concept. Anything else notable that you saw?”

“I noticed my skin carried the reflection of the purple sky – that same glow.”

“Nice. That was me warming you from within.”

“More so, I felt what it was like to wait for You, Father. To anticipate Your presence. And the wait was the most fulfilling wait I’ve ever had.”

“Then you found me in the stillness of the sunrise. Good job. I am always in the stillness. Just learn to wait and listen. You will hear me.”

What a wonderful promise to know that in stillness of the sunrise, the Father waits to wrap us tight in His presence. He loves to spend time with His children. This is where He teaches us, disciplines us, rebukes us, and loves us. Seek him in the stillness and find that He is wonderfully good.