Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him; do not fret when men succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes. Refrain from anger and turn from wrath; do not fret--it leads only to evil. For evil men will be cut off, but those who hope in the LORD will inherit the land. A little while, and the wicked will be no more; though you look for them, they will not be found. But the meek will inherit the land and enjoy great peace. Psalms 37:7-11 (NIV)
God desires for us to turn down the volume of all the noise roaring in our ears and the fear in our spirits and listen in the quiet for His “still small voice”. No rushing. No distractions. And in this stillness and quiet, set your hearts and minds on things above – not on earthly things. It is in our stillness we become present with God who is always present. God rarely shouts to get our attention. Indeed, as He did with Prophet Elijah, He speaks with a still small voice or a “gentle whisper” if you will. He waits patiently for us to quiet ourselves before Him. His desire is for us to humbly seek Him. And, Scripture tells us, if we seek Him we will find Him if we seek Him with all our hearts.
In this fast paced world we live in, it can be very difficult to be still and quiet. Noises on the outside and noises going on in our heads keep us constantly distracted preventing us from His best for our lives and that is to be quiet in His presence – seeking to listen to His voice rather than incessantly running our own and simply enjoying Him and the privilege of walking with Him. We do not want to grow weary in this and miss out on this great blessing. As Thomas Brooks states: “Private prayer is the gate of heaven.”
Believing prayer is powerful. We are not to lose heart and miss the blessings He has for us in this. The blessings of peace and joy and comfort and all the other things that come from knowing Him better. Continue to prevail in prayer for the mercy you seek. We are not praying to change God, rather us. Sometimes He indeed changes our circumstances but the far greater miracle He accomplishes is changing our hearts in our circumstances. We want what He wants even in things that are perhaps unutterably difficult, they are never lacking purpose. Remember as well we live in a fallen and broken world of our own choosing. Not one of us is without sin. And He bids us to pour out our hearts to Him. Thankfully, our prayers do not lie on our own merits rather on Christ’s blood shed on our behalf. And we wait in hope on the Lord.
Prayer is about our relationship with our constant Friend Who sticks closer than a brother. When He is with us, how can we be fearful? Our strength is in Him. He eases our distresses as He walks with us through our valley of Baca’s (tears) – taking us from “strength to strength”. He is the friend that sticks closer than a brother.
Find rest, O my soul, in God alone; my hope comes from him. He alone is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will not be shaken. My salvation and my honor depend on God; he is my mighty rock, my refuge. Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge. Selah** Psalms 62:5-8 (NIV)**