Sanctuary in the Stillness

A faint light greets my eyes as I blink them open.  It is too early to be up on a weekend.  Especially after a late campfire.  I shut my eyelids again, but before I slip back into sleep I remember that there is something beautiful I will miss if I do that.  As much as my body feels unready to rise, I know the experience will refresh me if I take the opportunity.

So I rouse myself from bed, make some tea, grab a light jacket and my camera and head out the door of my parent’s cabin.  I keep walking until I reach the end of the long dock.  And then I wait. 

The world is still and quiet, waiting with me.  Clouds are scattered across the grey expanse above with splashes of yellow in a variety of hues throughout.  As I watch the western sky, a sliver of light breaks through the horizon line.  A crimson blotch appears, then slowly turns to gold as it grows, rising and taking shape into a glowing orb. 

Birdsong breaks the stillness, echoing the joy I feel at the promise of a new day. 

I continue to sit and stare, basking in the peace of the moment.  There is no one but me, God and His creation. 

Ah, the peace of God’s presence… when I allow my soul to simply soak in God’s Holy Spirit.  I can just be…

…when I forget about everything but God and His glory.  His promises.  His faithfulness.  His enduring, steadfast love. 

That is when everything else falls into the background, and I can be still. 

Psalm 46:10 says, “Be still and know that I am God.”  I have found that if I put that in reverse, and meditate on God and who He is, it is only then that I can be still. 

Certainly a setting like the one described above helps, but I have also found the stillness in my living room, on my porch, while driving, in a coffee shop…

Wherever it happens, that stillness is a sanctuary.  A sanctuary where I praise God for who He is and for what He has done, and I look with hope toward a future where He will continue to be with me, to guide, to comfort, and to bless.  There are no worries, no fears, no anxieties, no what ifs, no whys, and no buts in that stillness.  Just God and the peace He gives.

Do you need a sanctuary of peace from this world of trouble?  Take the advice of the following verses.  Find God and you will find peace.

Philippians 4 6-7:  Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.  And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.  (ESV)

John 14:27:  Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.  (ESV)

{Linking with Kelli Woodford for Unforced Rhythms.}