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Calm and Quiet the Soul
Andrea Lende • October 5, 2020
Psalm 131:2-3
Calm and Quiet the Soul
You can also listen to the meditation and prayer at: https://anchor.fm/andrea-lende/episodes/Calm-and-Quiet-the-Soul-ekkqqq
Daily Word:
Psalm 131:2-3
“Surely, I have calmed and quieted my soul; like a weaned child with his mother, like a weaned child is my soul within me [ceased from fretting].”
“O Israel, hope in the Lord from this time forth and forever.”
These two verses truly spoke to me today.
Especially today.
I have met with roadblocks every step of this day.
Literally every step.
Normally on a day like today I would try and pick up the pace to regain the time lost in dealing with each roadblock.
And I would become increasingly angrier with every new roadblock.
But today, I intentionally slowed down.
I asked God to lead me through the roadblocks and quiet my spirit.
I asked Him to correct me when I needed correction.
And then I tried to listen.
It was a faint voice that was speaking to me.
There was one moment where I didn’t want to listen to that voice.
But I wrangled my spirit to pay heed to the Lord and allow Him to lead me.
A great peace flooded my soul.
Even though I continue to be met with roadblock after roadblock today, I am at peace and am leaning into the Lord.
So, these verses were perfect and truly spoke to my heart today.
I began to think about weaning babies off a bottle and how they initially fight it.
They cry because they don’t understand why their comfort has been taken away.
Their routine has been disrupted.
As the days move forward and new routines are formed, they cry less and settle into the new as they give up the old.
It’s hard to grow up!
It seems hard to grow up spiritually as well.
Our second verse gives me comfort as God takes away the old and ushers in the new parts of my life.
“Hope in the Lord from this time forth and forever.”
We have to learn that our hope is in God and not in the world.
The world will not satisfy our needs – none of them.
We think it will.
It’s so elusive because our bodies tend to rule our minds and spirits instead of the opposite.
For example, when we get hungry our bodies give us a signal to eat food.
When I get really hungry my body seems to demand more food and sometimes not very nutritious food.
That’s when I tend to overeat.
Then comes regret.
But if I intentionally change my perspective and view food as simply sustenance and am grateful to partake of it, then I tend to eat more nutritious food and less of it.
I ask the Lord to guard my appetite and help me be thankful for the nutrients that He provides.
Today I choose to quiet and calm my soul as the day continues and hope in the Lord.
May you find that as you find quiet and peace for your soul that your hope in the Lord will be grow deeper.
Daily Prayer:
O Lord, my God, thank You for showing me that I am, in fact, growing in my relationship with You. Thank You for showing me You are my hope. As the chaos around me continues, I have the opportunity to quiet and calm my soul. Thank You, Father, for the peace Your Son died to give me. May Your peace be upon me today. May I seek Your peace above all else this day. Help me find You in the quiet and calm even during the storm. May I sit at Your feet and find rest. As I face the trials of this day, help me look to You, Lord. Keep my eyes on You. No matter what this day brings, please keep my eyes on You. Please the light the path You ask me to walk and guide my every step. Temper my spirit and help me listen to You above the noise that tries to crowd my mind. Help me bless someone this day. Thank You for hearing my prayer.
Answer: I AM with you, My child, and will show you the way that I ask you to go.
Response: Please be near me today, Lord.
We start a New Year! How exciting! Paul had just finished telling the Ephesians to put off their old nature. They had been run around by their feelings and desires. He told them to be renewed in their spirit. The Amplified Bible defines this to be “having a fresh mental and spiritual attitude.” As we say goodbye to this year, let us put on the new and leave the old behind. We have an opportunity to reflect on what to bring forward into this New Year.
This is a great message for the New Year. We can be in control of our own words. As a mother, I used to tell my children to use their words to explain what was happening in their minds. I tried to help them find the right words. Words that would help the situation and not make it worse. I must do the same thing when talking to them. It’s important to use words that do not damage their spirits. Words that lift up instead of tear down. Even though my children have grown, I still want to be careful how I speak to them because my worlds will impact them for the rest of their lives.
As we approach the New Year, it is a perfect time to take inventory of what part of our lives, our hearts, and our souls are not bearing fruit. What can we give up as this year comes to a close? What do we need to give to the Lord for His cleansing and pruning? The answers to these questions take time. Time with the Lord. We are creatures of routines and habits which serve us well. But we can also change our routines and habits to serve us and the Lord better. So, we can ask God to show us what He wants us to give up so that He can have more of us.
I cannot think of a better verse to meditate on as we approach the New Year. Jesus said, "the kingdom of God is within you [in your hearts] and among you [surrounding you]." For so many years I believed I had to wait to go to heaven to experience the kingdom of God. I have longed to step into heaven and meet the Lord and His Son. However, as we read the Gospels and study Jesus and all that He said, we begin to understand the kingdom of God is all around us. The kingdom of God is within.
Paul wrote to the Colossians and told them he was praying for them. He prayed they would be refreshed, renewed, and invigorated. He also prayed they would be strengthened. May his prayer be heard by the Lord God Almighty on our behalf today just as it was received two thousand years ago. God is the Source of all things beautiful and wonderful. There is no shortage of renewal, refreshment, or inspiration in His kingdom. And as the Creator of this universe, He continues to pour all good things into His people. Paul wrote that refreshment and strength are needed so we may have endurance.
This verse is the perfect verse to reflect on as Christmas comes to a close. The Lord sent His Son to us. He sent Him to this world as a babe. Jesus was given the task of growing up. A difficult one for all of us. He endured the awkward stages we all go through as we grow past them. I look back at old picture and cringe, yes, I cringe. This life provides plenty of opportunities to feel awkward and just plain weird, but our Father loves us as though we are perfect every day of our lives. This is why Jesus came. He came to make us perfect in God’s sight.
God made Himself flesh so He could take away the sins of the world. The story of the very first Christmas was humble, yet the most powerful and loving birth ever recorded in history. All humanity changed in an instant. When Jesus was born, love filled the earth. Love came down and lifted us up. The angels came to tell the shepherds of this beautiful birth. The stars in the heavens also told the story. As we do all tasks that we do to ensure a beautiful Christmas day, may we remember the miracle that God sent long ago. The miracle of all miracles.
The first Christmas was going to be documented, so that it could be read many times over for all Christmas’ to come. It was also documented so the prophecy of the Messiah’s birth would be known to be fulfilled. Prophets of old foretold Jesus would come from the house of David. They also prophesied that He would be born in Bethlehem. And all this came to pass. Even though Jesus would be known as a Nazarene, His beginning began in Bethlehem. God’s divine plan was set in motion with the first census while Mary was at the end of her pregnancy.
What a wonderful passage to read during Christmas week. Our passage touched my heart as I read it through the lens of Jesus’ birth. “It was God [personally present] in Christ, reconciling and restoring the world to favor with Himself.” We have so much to be thankful for in these few short words, “restoring the world to favor with Himself.” So undeserved and yet so graciously given. We are offered favor with the Lord. Imagine having favor with the almighty God, the Creator of the universe. Jesus chose to leave heaven’s door where all was perfect. He chose to be born into this dusty messy world.
Jesus had just spoken to a fig tree and deemed it unworthy to live because it had no fruit on it. His disciples were amazed when they saw the fig tree wither and die. Then the Lord talked to them about prayer and belief. He told them that whatever they asked for, if they had the faith and belief, they would receive it. I remember the day I started hearing music and lyrics. I had just bowed my head at the piano and asked if the Lord would bless praise and worship music. As soon as I prayed that prayer, the Lord bestowed the gift of song writing upon me.