Wait Quietly...

Hi friends,

I recently had the opportunity to have a couple of days of retreat in silence and solitude and it was wonderful. I didn't have any phone signal or WiFi, so I couldn't get distracted by my phone and social media. This time away allowed me to switch off from the usual distractions and focus on being still before God, reading, journaling, and just being with him. I took my Bible journaling supplies (well, some of them!) and created some pages while I was there, including this page. The couch that I sat on in the living room to read and reflect was grey and had a red blanket, so I used those colours on this page as a reminder of this time.

It's hard to describe just how much I needed this time out, particularly at the end of a busy year. Too often we think of this kind of time of solitude, silence, and retreat, as a luxury rather than a necessity. But I am becoming more convinced, not just from my experience but also from Scripture, that these kind of times are a necessity for a life of flourishing with God and others. There are many times in Scripture where we see people taking time to wait on God, to be silent before him, to go away by themselves to pray. In Psalm 62 we read David's instruction to himself in the midst of turmoil. I love how the NLT translates this: "Let all that I am wait quietly before God" (v5).

How often do we take time to wait quietly before God? If and when we do, is all that we are being present and quiet with God? I know for me, it's easier to get my body to be quiet than my mind. It's easier to sit quietly externally than to be calm and quiet internally. But David recognises that it is his whole being that needs to wait quietly before God. I am personally challenged by this example, and know I need to make more time for this. How about you?

 

I had fun mixing a bunch of stamp sets together to create this page, colouring this images with Inktense pencils and an aquabrush. I used the new Let's Get Cozy set for the chair and Botanical Branches for the leaves, along with Made New for the butterflies. The verse was stamped using a combination of Ellis Square Alpha, In His Image, Print Blocks Alpha, Bitty Minnie Alpha and All in All. 

Let's prioritise taking the time to bring our whole selves to God and wait quietly before him.

Be blessed...

x Amy x