That Place of No Spinning
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. Our 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.
The beginning of the long holiday season is just two weeks away, and with it comes perpetual motion. From Thanksgiving to Christmas most of us are in a constant state of “full speed ahead.” And during the holidays we also often replace trips to the gym with trips to overcrowded malls, buying more and more gifts. Seriously, does your brother really need another titanium driver to put in his golf bag? And we replace quiet evenings at home with holiday parties, school concerts, extra hours at work to finish up year end projects.
Before the craziness begins is a perfect time to look over your own life and intentionally build times of silence and quietness into your schedule. Your body needs down time to rest and recharge, and your soul needs times of silence and quietness in order to hear God’s voice. God sometimes speaks in loud tones, but most often He speaks to us in gentle whispers (see 1 Kings 19:11-12).
It is really hard to hear God’s voice if you do not build times into your daily routine to dial down and simply be at rest. Psalm 46:10 tells us that we are to “be still and know that I am God.” And among other things, Isaiah 30:15 tells us that “in quietness and trust is your strength.” Two other be still and silent verses come to mind: Psalm 37:7 and 62:5.
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 be reminded of God’s past and current righteous acts (1 Samuel 12:7) and see His divine power (12:16).
If you know anything about wheels, then you know that they turn around an axle. There are two types of axles – live and dead. Live axles rotate with the wheels, transferring engine power to the wheels, whereas dead axles are simply load bearing. In rear-wheel drive vehicles, the rear axle is live and the front axle, dead. In front-wheel drive vehicles, the opposite.
So, in either case, even when the wheel is turning at 65 miles per hour, in the dead axle there is no movement at all. It is static, even as the wheel around it turns. And just as with the axle, while life around you and me turns at a high rate of speed, it is of utmost importance that we find a place where we can go to be alone with God in stillness and quietness. That place of no spinning.
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 of life.
So today and throughout the upcoming holidays, I encourage you are be counter cultural and amid the busyness, also slow down. Your body will be glad you did, and it gives your soul time to find rest in Jesus.
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