Category Archives: Spiritual Practices

Bow Down

August 31, 2014Spiritual Formation, Spiritual Practicesheyjudeev5@gmail.com

By Judy Villanueva

Nehemiah 8:6 Then Ezra blessed the Lord the great God. And all the people answered, “Amen, Amen!” while lifting up their hands; then they bowed low and worshiped the Lord with their faces to the ground.

Matthew 2:11 On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.

Romans 14:11 For it is written, “As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to Me, And every tongue shall give praise to God.”

Is it fair to say that we don’t bow down much these days as a culture, as a church or as individuals? I can’t help but wonder why? Today, I decided to bow down during my morning prayers and pay attention to what happened to my thoughts and feelings as I talked with God on my knees, with my head down. Bowing seems to invite surrender and reverence. It did…I could feel it! But, praying with my face on the floor also made me feel tearfully contrite and humble of heart. It felt corrective.

I suspect there is something about putting ones body in a bowed position that helps us to feel bowed, submitted, and more in touch with the reality of our finitude and our great need of an infinite and able God.

When I think of the things that literally drive us to our knees, four invitations come to mind: great need, sin, gratitude and God’s felt presence. When loss, illness, or trouble comes our way and we are overwhelmed, we often feel pushed to our knees in desperation. When we have violated our nature, created in God’s image, by behaviors that bring us shame, we may feel the need to lay prostrate in sorrow as we cry out to God for help and freedom. When the sun rises, or we slow down enough to notice beauty around us, when we receive our hearts’ desires or experience God’s provision, we may fall on our faces in gratitude. When God draws near and we feel His breath…when somehow we touch the Almighty or His goodness and love touches us, we may find ourselves waking up from having fallen face first in utter worship!

What’s the point? We need to bow! It helps us pray more completely. We were created for a yielded relationship with a wise and powerful God. It is no joking matter. It necessitates that we regularly lower our heads and accommodate prayerful face plants that can deal a blow to our pride at its roots. A blow that can lead our hearts to proper sorrow, and connect us to our brokenness. We need to fall to the ground in gratitude for the daily gifts of life that we take for granted most days.

Bowing down before God helps us to find our true selves and, astonishingly, the God who bowed down to save us!

Yes, there is a God who washed feet, prayed in a garden on His knees, and bowed under the weight of the cross He carried to Calvary. He hears our prays and cares about our sorrows, temptations and triumphs! In full surrender, Jesus lived, loved and died bowed down before God that we might one day be lifted up!

“Father, help me to bow down. I am aware of my pride and how it interferes with my ability to surrender my heart and life to You. As I bow in the mornings, I ask for correction, grace, and your hand of love to lift me up. Thank you for bowing down low to save me and for caring about my life and loving me every single moment of every single day. Amen.”

How about you?

What prompts you to bow down?

Are you aware of obstacles that keep you from bowing down before God?

How might bowing in prayer change the way you pray, think or act?

Bow and pray. Try it! Put your body in a bowed posture and notice what happens to your thoughts, feelings and prayer. God bless you as you bow before Him.

Worship:

“When I Don’t Know What To Do” by Tommy Walker

“Surrender” by 4 Him

“I Need You Now” by Matt Redman

Jump!

July 21, 2014Knowing God, Spiritual Formation, Spiritual Practicesheyjudeev5@gmail.com

By Judy Villanueva

Faith is the assurance of things hoped for; the evidence of things unseen. (Hebrews 1:11)

Looking up I could see them peeking over the edge of the cliff to the cool waters below. Quickly, they would move back and “shake it off,” trying to muster the courage to jump! It was a long way down and it would be a breathless free fall! They knew it was deep enough, but could they step off the surety of the ground beneath their feet? Back and forth they’d go, telling themselves they could do it. Just do it! Jump! Whenever we go to the lake we stop at a particular cove surrounded by the most irresistible cliffs, and every time, a handful of our nieces and nephews, kids and friends hop out of the boat and climb to the top! I watch their struggle from below and, if I am honest, bribe them to come down with cookies! But once they’ve gotten to the top and look over, the promise of flight seems to capture their imaginations, and soon, the struggle at the top evaporates into an exhilarating, tummy-turning leap of faith!

Jump! Whether it’s out of an airplane, off a cliff or into a decision, it seems to go hand in hand with faith that acts with resolve to trust God. It may involve relocating or staying put, proposing or breaking up, taking this job or that one, saying yes or saying no.

To be sure, it always includes a moment of truth where we choose to go forward into places unknown, believing that God isn’t just with us, but also remains sovereign over every inch of our lives!

In other words, faith is the assurance that God is always perfectly good, perfectly wise, and perfectly able to cover, use, and work through our imperfect decisions. Faith in God is the sturdiest launch pad for jumping!

Are you peeking over a precipice and considering a leap of faith? Walking to the edge and looking over is a really good idea as it gives us good information about heights and depths. It also stirs hope and shapes vision for the jump! Isn’t it good to know that we are allowed to use our heads as we prepare for leaps of faith? And then — it’s all about trusting that God jumps with us! His faithfulness is the water that surrounds us as we pierce the surface and are swallowed up in its depths. If we’ll relax, the water will lift us up and into new breaths of life! Peek over the edges with God and measure your heartbeat! If God says jump, then, with all the courage you can muster, run for the edge and fly!

“Father, running off of steep cliffs and into murky waters is not my strong suit. But, one thing I know from observing one flight to the water after another is that a leap with You is the ride of a lifetime! Help me to trust that You jump with me wherever you call me to jump! Thank You that You are, always and forever, faithful! Amen.”

What about you?

Is God calling you to jump? Is there a decision pending that requires a “free-fall” and faith in God to be there for you?

Have you looked over the edge and evaluated, with God and others, the depths and heights involved?

Is God your place of rest and assurance? Is He your steady ground and sturdy launch pad?

Our decisions don’t have to be perfect, just submitted and surrendered. God is faithful.

Worship:

“Find Me Faithful” by Tommy Walker

“Faithful” by Chris Tomlin

Look At Me!

By Judy Villanueva

My son, pay attention to what I say; turn your ear to my words; Do not let them out of your sight,  keep them within your heart, for they are life to those who find them  and health to one’s whole body. ( Proverbs 4:20-22)

I was ready for the challenge! I was twenty-three years old. She was a baby. I had a college education. She had determination! I saw the look in her eyes and knew that sin had entered her tiny little heart. She made her move and crawled as fast as she could for the electrical outlet! She looked over at me and then reached out her dimpled hand in defiance! I sternly said, “Look at mommy! Don’t you dare touch that outlet, baby girl.” We had been here before…many, many times! She seemed to need to have the lines of authority clarified every single day, and thus, here we were again establishing that I was mommy and she was baby! I knew stuff. She did not. To her credit, she looked right at me and stalled for about ten seconds. I can’t imagine what went through her baby brain, but in the end, she touched it!

“Look at Me!” It’s a directive that parents use to get their childrens’ attention. It is meant to entice the child away from one focal point and onto the parent in order to give needed correction or guidance. Babies, of course, do not appreciate the good intentions of the parent and simply want what they want! This remains a challenge throughout life! Submitting our desires to God and turning to Him for direction is essential to maintaining a balanced and healthy life. The problem is not so much that we want this or that, but rather, with the excesses, the points at which our “loves” become disordered. In other words, where occupations become preoccupations, where passions lead to addictions, and busyness to an anxious heart.

Can you hear God when He calls to you? It might be a still, small voice…an internal nudge or a louder invitation, like an ulcer, or a life that is falling apart. If we are not in the habit of “listening”, His might sound like one voice among many. Noticing God in the midst of ordinary life is learned as it is practiced.

There is nothing more profoundly reorienting than looking at God! It finds us!

Being willing to be interrupted and guided by God is necessary if we are to be helped to want what is most worthy of wanting! Do you want God? I do, in theory! But, in reality, I want what I want and depend on His kind, steady voice in my days to help me turn away from things that distract me and look at Him. Discovering how to hear God and being willing to do as He says becomes a holy pathway, one that fills and quiets the soul…one that brings order to all other “loves”. Take a minute, listen for God’s voice and then look at Him. He is the way, the truth and the life…and He loves you!

“Father, I thank You that you are a wise and watchful parent. Help me to hear You call when I am in heading away from Your will. Thank You for all the ways you have made for me to find You. Keep finding me! Amen.”

What about you?

How ordered are the “loves” in your life?

Are you aware of any excesses that have led to an unbalanced, addicted or an anxious life?

Do you want God?

Can you hear God when He calls to you?

Are you learning how to pay attention to God? How to tune in to His voice through His Word? Through prayer and worship? Though silence and solitude? Through community?

God is a faithful parent and watches over us with love. Look at Him.

Worship

Speak to Me by Tommy Walker

Do You Love Me?

By Judy Villanueva

John 21:15 “Do you love Me?”

Stuck in the bathroom, I attempted to muster the courage to go back out into the party. It was a gathering of people with whom I felt out of place and misunderstood. Granted, they were just feelings and likely not even true, but it is how I felt. Overwhelmed, I slipped into this awkward space to pray. “Lord, I thought I would do better today! I prepared beforehand. I prayed, read the Word, determined to love well, and yet, here I am, stuck in the bathroom feeling so defeated. Help me to be strong!” What I heard in reply surprised me. “I am here. It’s ok. Return to love in weakness. I am with you.” This felt strangely freeing, mostly because the only place I could love from, at that moment, was from weakness. So, I returned to the party and loved…weak and a bit scrambled up inside, but freed to love!

The only thing that keeps me from loving on any given day is me.

For sure, many things threaten to box me in and block God’s flow of love. I might be tired, irritable, or anxious. I might be constrained by the pressure of feeling insecure, less than, or judged. It might even be that the person in front of me is just plain unloving! Each and every time, I have a decision to make to either step back from loving or, to pause and ask for God’s help to move forward. When I am in these situations, my first taste of freedom often comes from simply deciding to love, and the next ones from giving myself fully to this decision. In other words, as I act on believing that God is able to empower me to love beyond my fatigue, insecurity or dread, grace begins to flow!

Here is the incredible thing about any decision to love. When we love, we bless and honor Jesus! We answer His question, “Do you love Me?” with a resounding “Yes! I love You, Jesus!” whenever we avail ourselves to be filled and poured out for another.

Can you imagine that it is possible to bless the heart of God when and as we love?

That is quite a notion! And, thankfully, it counts even when we love imperfectly and in weakness. We must never forget what it means that the Spirit of God lives within us. We walk around with access to an inexhaustible spring of deep and bountiful love! We may feel boxed in and scrambled up, but when we find our way out of our awkward spaces and cry out for help, we discover that wide and rich waters of love await us. Come, drink and love Jesus!

“Lord, I bump into mini-crossroads every day where I am aware of my love-limitations. I am selfish and in need of Your well that is inexhaustible! I want You to hear my “Yes, I love you!” as I love others. I want to bless You! Fill me and free me to love. Amen.”

What about you?

Do you feel free to love others? Are you aware of what closes off your heart?

Have you considered that in loving others, you bless the heart of God? I

What do you think Jesus meant by asking “Do you love Me?” How would you respond?

Worship:

https://youtu.be/hPlOQk-Rr8U

Folding Socks

By Judy Villanueva

As a deer longs for flowing streams, so my soul longs for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. (Psalm 42:1)

God, you have made us for yourself and our hearts are restless until they find their rest in you. (St.Augustine of Hippo)

Surrounded by of pile of socks, I hunt for two brown ones with stripes, matching grey argyles, and strain to decipher the subtle differences in the solid blues! I suddenly feel a familiar pang that I recognize as my soul becoming restless. Existential angst. Does my existence have meaning? Does folding socks matter to God or is there something more important that I should be doing? It alerts me to beware of what I think, pray and do next. I’ve been here before and am learning that when my soul feels restless it wants to be fed (or medicated). Feed it with a cookie, a trip to the mall, a tv show, a glass of wine or with frenetic doing that will offer distraction. Instead, I decide to pray and bring my soul to Jesus.

My husband and I have been reading a book called “Soul Keeping” by John Ortberg and the last pages invite the reader to the deathbed of a remarkable man, Dallas Willard. Reading out loud, we find ourselves overhearing the last words he whispered to God, “Thank you. Thank you.” My brow furrows as I consider the implications of these words uttered in the midst of great suffering. I feel curious to know more about him and hungry to learn how to live so that when I breathe my final breath, my soul will exhale in gratitude. Dallas lived a life that cultivated a contented and grateful soul and when pressed hard, what flowed from the depths of him was gratefulness.

There is something about the finality of death that is focusing. It seems to clear the clutter that gets in the way of living well. At death, all chances to be kind end. Any and all opportunities to love are over. At life’s end, grudges feel ridiculous and time, too precious to waste on petty complaints.

In the clarity of death’s wake, worry about mattering yields to loving and being loved by God.

It invites a vision of generosity, grace and energy to bless others while there is time. It is a reminder that a life lived well is fed and formed by God, and that last breaths are exhaled from whatever has been shaped over a lifetime. Learning to love and be loved by God infuses all of life with meaning…it quiets the soul, plants seeds of gratitude and makes, even folding socks, yet another moment of His grace.

“Father, help me to find meaning in Your arms and let it calm and fuel my soul for blessing others. Help me to cultivate gratefulness and care for my soul so that in each day of my life I might give you glory, and upon my death, give thanks. Amen.”

What about you?

Do you ever struggle with restlessness of soul?

What do you tend to feed your soul to calm it? Food, tv, shopping, or something else?

Have you discovered that meaning comes from being loved by God? Have you felt the rest that happens in Him alone?

What do you think cultivating contentment and gratitude looks like?

Spend time with God. It will feed and bless your soul.

Worship

Wonder

By Judy Villanueva

The whole earth is filled with awe at your wonders; where morning dawns, where evening fades,  you call forth songs of joy. (Psalm 65:8)

Covered in blankets with our faces pointed toward the sky, we watched for magic! “Glory!” our friend’s little daughter cried out, “I saw one!” Under a canopy of stars we laid out on the deck, shivering in the cool night air determined to witness wonder! “Glory!” another shouted, “Glory! Glory! Glory!” Shooting stars showered us with delight and time seemed to stop as we watched wide-eyed and awed by each brilliant starburst! It was the peak of the Perseid Meteor shower and there, gathered with family and dear friends, wonder gave way to worship and before we knew it, we were singing songs of joy in the middle of the mountains!

I am so grateful for wonder. It is different than knowing or understanding a thing….there is something about wonder that points us beyond the comprehensible to unique and magnificent possibilities!

Wonder confronts our finite natures and asks us to reach beyond our grasp and dare to imagine beauty beyond our disappointments. It signals us to hope!

It opens up soul-space and encourages us to watch for life. Wonder reminds us that there is a God…a good and wonderful God.

“Wonder-ing” becomes more natural as we practice noticing and tuning into its invitations to stand still and behold. Beholding helps us to see, feel and hear God in the midst of shooting stars, rainbows, and shimmering aspen trees…to name a few favorite wonders! To behold is to stop, move toward and then look closely with all of oneself. It is to allow wonder to speak and teach of God’s glory…glory found all around us, every day...in sunrises and sunsets, in wildflowers and waterfalls and, in sitting amongst friends with faces pointed upwards, singing songs of joy for each moment spent together watching for glory!

“Heavenly Father, help me to notice your invitations to be drawn into wonder. Life can be hard sometimes. Help me to trust You and stay open to whatever You will next for me. Thank you for lights in the sky, for dear friends, precious children, for beauty, wind and wonders too many to count that help me reach beyond disappointment and fear, to hope. Thank you for daily reminders that You are…and are good. Amen.”

What about you?

What fills you with wonder?

Are you aware of how beholding wonder moves your heart?

How are your hopes?

Do you need a reminder that there is a God…and that He is good?

Lay down, look up and watch for His wonders.

(Thank you, Tommy Walker, for leading worship that night and helping us lift up beautiful songs of joy!)

Worship

https://youtu.be/oscF-IBd5D8

Dusty Thoughts

By Judy Villanueva

Psalm 51:17 The sacrifice of God is a broken spirit: a broken and contrite heart you will not despise.

Psalm 103:14 As a father has compassion on his children,  so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him; for he knows how we are formed,  he remembers that we are dust.

As I sat down in the pew I could feel a deep sigh coming over me. My mind had been occupied with many things and it felt good to sit in a quiet sanctuary and slow down. I have many memories of Ash Wednesday services growing up, including the post-smudge contest where ashen forehead crosses were compared, the darkest ones the envy of all. It still makes me smile! Today, as I listened to the Word invite me to a broken and contrite heart, I felt the Holy Spirit moving through the room with light and grace. I became conscious of my dusty origins and aware that part of my preparation for the risen Christ involves taking inventory of my heart…and the secrets it likes to keep hidden from me.

What does it mean to remember that we are dust? It feels strangely relieving to not have to be perfect, to freely know that I am who I am…even if who I am struggles every day with pride, fear and a lack of faith.

It’s hard work to keep from knowing my failings but I suspect that it is in the knowing that my heart becomes contrite and freed to need Jesus.

Living conscious of God’s love gives me the courage to let go of my pride and acknowledge my sin. It makes me wonder if at the center of humility, where God is God and we are dust, our souls find a place to rest.

Aren’t you grateful that God remembers we are dust and is not thrown off course by our failures and fickle faith? Even when we cannot bear to know the dusty truth about ourselves, He always knows us as we are…and loves us.

Here is the amazing Grace our hearts long for, the Light that draws us out of our fears and the Power that beckons us to come!

There is no sweeter place of belonging, no kinder companion when looking into our hearts…and no One else who knows just how to form our dusty lives into beautiful and fragrant offerings.

“Father, thank you for knowing me as I am and loving me anyways! Give me the courage and humility to know the parts of my heart that need your love and grace. Help me to remember that I am dust and need You every, every day. Amen.”

What about you?

Do you know that God loves you?

What does it mean to remember you are dust?

Are you willing to sit with God and let Him show you the hidden places of your heart?

Are you free to need Jesus?

Take time with God to know your heart. Let His grace lead you to proper sorrow and to His love that covers and frees.

Worship

Cultivating Joy!

By Judy Villanueva

Psalm 16:11
You will make known to me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; In Your right hand there are pleasures forever.

We reached the top and stood facing a full view of the Rocky Mountains iced in snow! The wind was blowing and the air was a warm 63 degrees…spectacular! Have you ever felt joy sweeping you up through your senses? As we walked down the hill I savored the feeling of the sun on my face, the sight of my husband walking slightly ahead of me, and the sound of pines as they sifted the wind. It soothed my soul and placed my worries in a larger context…a joyful one held securely in the hands of God. I love that God made us with eyes, ears, a nose, mouth and skin so that we can literally take in His creation! Genius! If I ever need convincing that God is kind and good I need look no further than how He designed us to share in the beauty and glory of all that He has made!

One of my favorite questions to ask a new friend is “What gives you joy?” “What delights your soul?” “What draws you into the goodness of God?” Problems and challenges seem to find their way to the forefront of our awareness because, like the prick of a needle, pain demands our attention and, unfortunately, can be rather hoggish about it.

Being present to joy amidst and alongside life’s struggles, however, helps us remember that God is good.

Witnessing His love and kindness through the joys that a day offers shifts our attention to hope and to the reality of God with us. He is with us!

When my daughter was little we used to play a game on vacations or wherever we happened to be when we bumped into beauty! I would say, “Stop! Now, freeze this moment and take a mental picture and never forget…” the aspens we were hiking through or the lake we were sitting by or the feel of the wind blowing through us!

Catching and cultivating joy is a powerful spiritual exercise, not to mention its potential to transform our perspectives and enlarge our capacities to see God in, through, before and behind all of life.

But, it requires our engagement and sometimes our willingness to confront old patterns of thinking. God has designed us to share His life and see His glory in the midst and alongside our real lives. He is present with warm winds, sweet fragrances, good friends and countless other secret plans to sweep us up with joy and help us along our way!

“Father, thank you for the gift and grace of our five senses and the way they allow us to take in beauty, sounds, flavors and the feel of Your love around us. Awaken me to the day’s invitations to joy and help me to tuck away your goodness and remember Your history of faithfulness to me. Amen.”

How about you?

What gives you joy? What draws you into the goodness of God?

How might you cultivate joy today?

Can you receive His joy today, however it may come to you, in the midst and alongside your real life?

Dearly Loved

By Judy Villanueva

Ephesians 5:1-2
Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.

Whenever my little grand daughter leaves the room for a nap, upon her return she makes a joyful announcement, “Hey guys! I’m here!” And, we all clap and say, “Hooray! Livy’s back!!!” Her smile broadens and her eyes light as we cheer her back into our company. What a picture of living loved! What freedom to the soul to wake up each day and enter life assured and convinced that we are indeed wanted and welcomed! How would this awareness impact our thoughts about ourselves, our reactions to others, and the way we enter rooms?

What would happen to the constraints that keep us from loving freely if we believed and held deeply that we are dearly loved children?

So many things interfere with our freedom to love and be loved. We are fragile creatures with fractured hearts and tend to interpret life from the wounds within us. We hold offenses, real and imagined. We live braced for rejection. We compare ourselves with others and either come up wanting or puffed up. Out of our insecurities we become critical or withdrawn, and out of our fears we become judgmental and guarded. We try not to know the truth about our places of need, but the fact is, we leak! When we say an unkind word or withdraw because of an offense…when we criticize and judge, or hold ourselves apart from others because we fear rejection, we realize we are not free to love and, sadly, are not living loved! On a good day, we let ourselves know this and are helped to look up and reach out for the One who can free us…the One who faithfully waits for us to wake up to His presence.

Learning to imitate God as dearly loved children is vital if we are ever to follow Christ into a life that becomes a fragrant offering. But, how do we enter more deeply into the love of God? How do we make it ours in such a way that we begin to leak love? God made us for His love and He desires for us to fully know and feel His love as best we can. As we face Him, walk with Him, listen to His voice and learn to trust Him, our hearts begin to heal.

Our capacity to believe that we are loveable and indeed loved by a great King expands and before we know it, we are living a little more loved than yesterday!

His love heals our wounds, secures our hearts and frees us to feel grace for others, patience, greater acceptance, and growing openness to become a fragrant offering to God. Listen for the sound of the Father’s clapping! Let your smile broaden and your eyes light up as He cheers you into His company where you are wanted, welcomed and…dearly loved.

“Father, I want to live in the reality of Your love! I want to be set free to love and become a fragrant offering. Heal the wounds that interfere with a clear flow of love in and through my heart to others. Help me say the best “yes” to all the ways that You invite me to live loved. Amen.”

What about you?

Do you feel dearly loved?

Are you aware of your “leaks”?

Can you look up and reach out for God with your places of need?

Do you feel free to love others? Pray and ask God to help you believe and feel His love.

Comforting Space

By Judy Villanueva

Isaiah 49:15-16
Can a woman forget her nursing child, or show no compassion for the child of her womb?  Even these may forget, yet I will not forget you. See, I have inscribed you on the palms of my hands.

“That God is omniscient…He knows all that can be known. And this He knows instantly and with a fullness of perfection that includes every possible item of knowledge concerning everything that exists or could have existed anywhere in the universe at any time in the past or that may exist in the centuries or ages yet unborn… God knows instantly and effortlessly all matter and all matters…all things visible and invisible in heaven and in earth, motion, space, time, life, death, good evil, heaven and hell.” (AW Tozer, Knowledge of the Holy)

I had a disappointment today…and it felt good to be reminded that God knows everything, all the time. What a consolation to reflect on the attributes of God! It is vital to refresh our minds with the truth about God so that our hearts can rest in who God is when life gets tricky. For me, it’s been a season of waiting…after living in one community for close to thirty years, my husband and I have relocated to a new city. There is the thrill of new adventures here and so many things that give us tremendous joy, but there is also a strenuous part that involves re-rooting and finding new places of belonging. I have enjoyed great favor in my life but this season has invited me, or imposed on me, a time of not feeling wanted or needed. Yuck. Oh, it’s not personal but it is humbling and frustrating and a little scary. After a good cry, I played worship songs and began cleaning the house, paying bills, filing and doing other normal things that distract and occupy me while my mind and heart reach for God’s comfort.

Where do you go for comfort when you’ve been hurt or disappointed? What helps you calm when you feel sad? Comfort. The Lord’s gift of touching us, His children, and bringing peace to our hearts…a transcendent peace that overrides our human capacity to trust, let go, and believe that because God is, we can relax and lean back into his complete hold of our life. But how do we receive this comfort and where do we go to find it? We are each unique and our road to peace will also be unique, but one thing is common for all of us. That is, finding comfort takes place under the wing of God, in His presence, with His heart, on His lap, in His arms of love…and taking time to be held is a necessary part of finding comfort. In other words, we must pause from all our doing and frenetic efforts to be…be fine, be successful, be all that…and make space for God’s comfort.

Your comforting space might be a walk or sitting quietly in the middle of a garden. It might be doing mundane chores while listening to worship songs, or watching children play. Your way of quieting might include reading the Word or praying with a friend…going on a long run or enjoying the silence and solitude of your own living room. The point is that “slowing” helps us settle down, find God’s wings and nestle in! And, there next to the Almighty, we experience His compassion for us…we are refreshed and reminded that He cannot forget us, nor would He ever! He knows us intimately as He knows everything, all the time! Held there, in the quiet and space, God’s love speaks to our sadness and disappointment, our fears and anxious thoughts. He shows us our names written on His hands and this enfolding of love brings a deep comfort that helps us to rest from our angst and trust in His love.

“Father, I am grateful that you know all things, all the time…and that you know me, too! Thank you that I can trust that You have not forgotten me. Help me to be patient as I wait for next things. Lead me to quiet and comforting spaces of peace and hope. Amen.”

What about you?

Have you had a recent hurt or disappointment? Is there a place of sadness or unrest in your life?

Do you need the Lord’s comfort?

Do you need reminding that God cannot forget you?

Slow down and make time for quiet. With God’s help, nestle in under His wing and let His love speak comfort to your heart.

ListeningForLove

Learning to Hear God's Voice

Category Archives: Spiritual Practices

Bow Down

Jump!

Look At Me!

Do You Love Me?

Folding Socks

Wonder

Dusty Thoughts

Cultivating Joy!

Dearly Loved

Comforting Space