Hush...of Stillness, Squirrels, and Prayer

Hello, this is Will Hardy with ManTalk Radio. We are all about breaking down the walls of race and denomination. Your chosen Truth Network Podcast is starting in just a few minutes.

Enjoy it, share it, but most of all, thank you for listening to the Truth Podcast Network. This is Rachel Torres, and I'm guest hosting today for Robbie Dilmore. Robbie has been diagnosed with COVID-19, so as we begin today, James, would you lead us and our listeners in a prayer for him?

Absolutely. Let's pray. Father, we thank you for Robbie and for all he does and all he is to us, and we pray, Lord, that you would heal him, that you would protect him and restore him to us soon.

Please bless him and his wife, Tammy, and heal him soon, we pray, in Jesus' name. Amen. Amen. So, James, sometimes when someone asks us to do something, they start by saying, I know how busy you are. Have you ever had that happen? Oh, all the time, and it's an interesting compliment, you know? I mean, it's a little like saying, the busier you are, the better, because you only ask the busy people to do things, and busyness is also one of the main challenges we all face when it comes to praying.

It really is. You know, it's something you hear all the time. We say things like, I know I need to pray, but I just don't have the time to do it, and then we feel guilty. Yeah, we've all been there, haven't we? And today we're going to talk about a way to help with that, because for most of us, as soon as we start to pray, our heads begin to spin with all the things we have to do, and I don't know about you, but I can get so distracted.

And I love what C.S. Lewis wrote about this in Mere Christianity. He said, it comes the very moment you wake up each morning, all your wishes and hopes for the day rush at you like wild animals. And the first job each morning consists simply in shoving them all back, in listening to that other voice, taking that other point of view, letting that other, larger, stronger, quieter life come flowing in, and so on, all day, standing back from all your natural fussings and fretting, coming in out of the wind. Oh, I really like that.

Coming in out of the wind is a good comparison. Yeah, it really is, Rachel. It makes me think of something Jesus said in John 14 23. All who love me will do what I say.

My Father will love them and will come and make our home with them. Think of the way he puts that, making a home. You know, what is a home except a place where you hang out? Or think about what he said in the Revelation, after he said, I stand at the door and knock.

If you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in and we will share a meal together as friends. What Jesus is promising in both of those places is, I want to be with you, to just hang out with you, if you will. And part of that, a really important part of being at home with him, is learning how to just rest and be quiet in his presence. Yeah, that's so true. Sometimes we don't really think that way when it comes to praying. We tend to think of praying as something active that we do, you know, that we have to keep using words.

I know, right? But it helps so much to sometimes not have to use words at all. I mean, think about that. Aren't those the best relationships where you could just be quiet with someone without having to express what you're thinking all the time?

And here's the beautiful thing. This is actually simple to do. Instead of having to think of what we're going to say when we're praying, we just stay quiet before God, and we keep our minds and hearts still. Yeah, that does sound really simple, but that doesn't necessarily mean it's easy.

No, it isn't for me. Yeah, you're right. I appreciate that. It takes time to learn how to just stay quiet in God's presence.

And, you know, I know I'm still working on it, but I believe it's something he will really bless when we just make the effort. So the main thing, and the first thing, is to just block out the time. And you don't need that much. Even five minutes can make a huge difference. How do you do that and keep your focus? Yeah, I mean, five minutes can seem like a long time, especially if you have ADD like I do. So, you know, I'm a little like the dog in the movie Up.

I live in a constant state of squirrel. Oh my gosh, yeah, I know I know exactly what you're talking about. Exactly. I mean, the best way for us to stay focused is to just imagine ourselves in his presence, sitting still before Jesus, like Mary did, and then focus on a simple verse, you know, a verse like Psalm 18.1, which says, I love you, Lord, you are my strength. And just pray that a few times. And I think we can do this best after we've asked God to search our hearts and have confessed any sins so that, you know, we know we're right, and we just quiet ourselves. And remember, God's Word says that He's not the author of confusion, but the author of peace. So He really will help us as we do this. That's right. Practically speaking, silence takes a little getting used to.

Yes, it does. But think about the difference it can make, because God is the author of peace. And by the way, that's in 1 Corinthians 14.33. He really will give us His peace as we're quiet before Him. It also helps us to hear Him. Yeah, that makes sense. I guess you could say that sometimes when God calls us, He gets a busy signal. Yeah, that's a great way to put it. I mean, we love it when someone gives us their undivided attention, and God does too.

And I like what Alice Wald Chambers said about this. He wrote, it's not that I will not hear God, but I'm not devoted in the right place. I'm devoted to things, to service, to convictions. And God may say what He likes, but I will not hear Him. In other words, He's busy.

There's the busy signal. But He goes on, the child's attitude is always, speak Lord, for your servant is listening. So there's an attentiveness there that He's talking about. And that's something that God really wants to bless us in. So He will help us become more and more sensitive to His presence as we do this. We just have to start, and little by little we'll begin to hear Him better. And it all begins with the simple step of just making ourselves available. Just showing up five minutes, you know, like we mentioned, or even three to start. Just loving Him, being in His presence without saying a word, can make such a difference in the time that we spend with Him.

Yes it can. I guess you could say that you can't build a relationship with just a one-way conversation. That's exactly right. And this will help us practice His presence more and more as we just live and go through life. And if we learn how to be still before Him, then we'll know Him better. And oh, we need to do this, don't we? Oh yeah. Yeah, we really do.

Yeah. So let's just wrap up today with a prayer that will do just that. Let's pray. Lord, help us to quiet ourselves before you and know that you are God, to learn to love you without words and just be with you. In Jesus' name. Amen. Amen. You can hear more from Pastor James by visiting his website, jamesbanks.org, or by visiting Peace Church in Durham, North Carolina.

May God bless you and encourage you as you pray. This is the Truth Network. One of our generous sponsors here at the Truth Network has come under fire.

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