No Movement in the Axle
We are a world that is in perpetual motion. We run full bore from the minute we climb out of bed until the moment we collapse back into bed at night. Then once we climb back into bed at night we roll around and find ourselves not able to sleep; our bodies are exhausted, but our minds are still racing, thinking of a million things. Cell phones are never out of arms reach. Even weekends and vacations are of no help; we take our work and our technology with us wherever we go. And social media, oh my, it consumes, I could argue wastes, huge amounts of time and energy.
We need to intentionally build times of silence and quietness into our schedule. Our body needs down time to rest and recharge and our soul needs times of silence and quietness as well. In addition to rest and quietness being healthy, those moments also often allow us to hear God’s voice, which is not always in loud tones. Sometimes He speaks to us in gentle whispers (1 Kings 19:9-13). It takes real practice to be still before God. Psalm 46:10 begins with these words – “Be still and know that I am God.”
Being still and blocking out the distractions helps us focus on what God is doing in us and around us. Samuel, Israel’s last judge, was passing the baton to Saul, who would become their first king. In Samuel’s farewell address, he instructs the people to be “stand still” in order to both see the evidence of God’s past and current righteous acts (1 Samuel 12:7) and be awed by His divine power (12:16).
Sometimes we need to simply sit and listen to the Lord. As Jesus was hanging out with his good friends Mary and Martha, we find this teaching, still relevant to us today. Mary sat quietly and listened to Jesus teach while Martha seemed very distracted with wanting to tend to Jesus’ needs. As Martha seemed to throw Mary under the bus for not helping with the chores, here is what he says to her – “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled abut many things, but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her” (Luke 10:38-42).
We are called to wait patiently and trust in the Lord. Psalm 37:7 tells us “be still before the LORD and wait patiently, not fretting about evil.” We also find hope in our waiting in silence (Psalm 62:5).
And we find strength in our silence and waiting before the Lord. Among other things, Isaiah 30:15 tells us that “in quietness and in trust will be your strength.”
If you know anything about wheels, then you know that they turn around an axle. Even when the wheel is turning at 200 miles per hour, in the center where the axle is found, there is no movement at all. The axle is not moving, attached to the vehicle; it is static, even as the wheel around it turns. And just as with the axle, while life around you turns at a high rate of speed, it is of utmost importance that you find a place where you can go to be alone with God in stillness and quietness.
It takes commitment to carve out time and space to stop turning and slow down your pace of life. The time and space looks different for everyone, but one thing is common among all who say they regularly hear from God … they spend time in His presence, away from the speed and spinning of life.
So, today and every day, I encourage you to be counter cultural and slow down. Your body will be glad you did and it also will give your soul space to find rest and great hope in Jesus.
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