Be Still and Know

Do you ever wish for silence? Do you ever want to have some time for yourself? Time to put everything aside, to shove away the deadlines, the distractions of life, or the worries of family? Time to become closer to God, to hear His voice? Time to focus on what God’s thoughts and desires are for you and your family?

In our daily lives, finding a time of quiet, God-centered time can be challenging. We are pulled in so many different directions with job pressures, deadlines, family, and friends that finding a moment to slow down can be difficult, and usually, it is the last thing we have on our minds. We think if we slowed down, we wouldn’t get everything done. We wouldn’t have that time with friends or with family. We wouldn’t make that deadline if we didn’t send that email now. So, we keep going, keep running until we are done, overly tired and too spent to meet with God. The stress and tension of our lives builds with each day of the week and, over time, can exhaust us. Spending time with the Lord is one of the most precious and refreshing things you can do in your entire day. The God of the universe wants to speak to you, wants to whisper to your heart. However, He has a hard time doing that when we won’t take the time to stop and listen.

Finding a quiet place inside your home is not always easy; it is sometimes hard to create a space for just you and God. On Sunday afternoons, there are two services that can create a time away from life for you to connect with God. These hours are for you to set aside everything in your life for a short span of time to listen to God, to hear God speak, to lift up your worries and your praises to God.

Once a month, our magnificent choirs offer an exquisite and ethereal choral Evensong. This sung service of canticles and prayers, along with the aroma of incense, can give you the space to hear God’s voice. Come and listen to the prayers of Mary and Simeon, the psalms of David, and the spoken word of God. Let God speak through those timeless words. Then lift up your needs, your worries, your fears, your praises, and your thanksgivings to the Lord. He will hear them and reach down and touch your heart. At the Sanctuary service, this hour is filled with serene stillness, soft peace, beautiful music, atmospheric incense, and glowing candles. It is a time for you to take yourself away from the world and focus your attention on the Most High God. When you come to this time with Him, bring a journal, bring your Bible, bring your prayers, bring an open heart, bring your praises, bring your hopes and dreams. Let the silence and music wash over you as you reveal your heart to God. He will hold it and quietly speak to it.  

Whatever you bring to Evensong or Sanctuary, during the stillness and music, let your heart get in tune with the Almighty. He will meet you there; He is ready to whisper to your heart.