It’s a quiet village in Bavaria, Germany. Time has slowed. Conversation around the table lengthens as friendships are forged. The hustle and bustle of America is abandoned. Benches along country roads beckon you to slow. Paths through the forest invite you to meander long as you explore the beauty of the area.
Stillness Beckons
As my soul basks in this slow pace, where affinity is found within another culture, I recognize the need to still the frenetic pace of the heart and mind. A lifestyle of stillness of soul is needed.
Sitting here at an open window, a light breeze blowing and a hushed village in the valley below makes it seem like an easy undertaking to integrate stillness into my life. The steeple bells ring out across the valley calling residents and visitors alike to come and pause in the hallowed cathedral.
Though it is denominationally different with words sung in an incomprehensible language to me, I answer the call of the bells. I know God hears the praise of my lips and heart as I join in the universal ‘Halleluja‘ expression.
I slip out of the packed cathedral, as the service comes to a close. As I walk down the quiet streets of this small village I sense God’s nearness. I’m half a world away from my own home and its familiarity, yet God is here with me.
A Way to Slow and Still
My thoughts turn back to a Scripture I had read earlier this Sabbath morning.
“O God, my heart is fixed; I will sing and give praise, even with my glory.” Psalm 108:1
I recognize that here is a key to maintaining stillness of soul. It is a steadfast resolution to praise God. In this decision there is a confidence in God that nothing can change. We can know that God’s unfailing love and faithfulness will be with us no matter what we face.
Here in this quiet village, I sense the greatness of God anew. However, I know life is not always calm and still. Our confidence in God must go deeper than the quiet of life. We must know God’s faithfulness when the turbulence of life sweeps in with a cacophony of noise.
Israel faced a choice to place their confidence in God when disaster threatened. However, they chose to turn away from God and trust their own solutions. Their choice brought heartbreak and tragedy.
There will come a time when we, too, come to a crossroads. Will we choose to accept the quiet call of the Sovereign Lord to come and rest in confidence, despite the calamity that may surround us, or will we choose to put our trust in our own formulas? (Isaiah 30:15)
When we slow our anxious thoughts and still our soul, we can confidently move forward knowing that God gives the help and strength that is needed.
Today, slow your heart and mind and listen to God’s invitation to draw near in quiet confidence. Though the clamor of life becomes deafening, choose to pause and quiet your soul with a steadfast trust in God. As you do, sing and give praise to our great God.
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