I honestly cannot believe it has been almost 2 months since I have written. My thoughts have been busy, but the Lord has not given me the nudge to write.
Today I got the nudge. :)
I don't know about you, but I am feeling the need to be still again. School is crazy right now, as it is the end of the year, Wesley and Mikayla are into many different things, and I am trying to keep up with exercising, house cleaning, etc.
I realize this is life.
It doesn't mean I have to be content with busyness.
In teaching my students about Moses' life and hearing a sermon series on him from my Pastor, I have been doing a lot of chewing and it goes along with where I am in life right now.
Moses was raised in the palace. He had it all and knew he was going to be the one to lead the Israelites to freedom one day. The only problem was that while he was busy being Prince of Egypt, he was taking that responsibility in his own way and not God's way. He "took care" of his people by killing an Egyptian guard that was treating his people harshly.
He murdered. That was not God's way.
(I am sure by now you are wondering why I went from busyness of life to Moses killing an Egyptian guard... please stay with me.)
Because of Moses' choices he was forced to leave Egypt. Forced to leave the busyness of the palace.
Forced into a quieter life.
He went to Midian, married a local woman, and began to raise a family while becoming a shepherd.
How mundane is that compared to the busy and exciting life of the palace?
For forty years Moses was a shepherd. Every day he watched those sheep and led them different areas, only to start again the next day.
I wonder if he thought back to his days in the palace?
I wonder if he wished he were somewhere different?
Or did he relish the quiet.
Enjoy the moments of stillness.
Then one ordinary day, something extraordinary happened.
He walks along the mountain where he had been keeping those sheep for years and walks past a bush. This bush was not like any old bush.
It was on fire, and not consumed. The Bible says in Exodus 3:3 that Moses said "I will now turn aside and the see this great sight, why the bush is not burnt."
After forty years of stillness and "mundane", God now knew Moses was ready to listen and do His plan for freeing His people.
Later in his leading of the children of Israel (similar to leading those sheep!) near the Red Sea with the Egyptians coming on one side and mountains surrounding them, Moses had to tell those complaining Israelites to be QUIET and still... because "The Lord shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace!" (Exodus 14:14)
Moses was now able to teach those Israelites what the Lord showed him when he was finally still and quiet before the Lord.
How many times have we rushed through in our busyness of life and taken matters in our own hands as Moses did with the Egyptian guard?
How many times has the Lord allowed us to have "mundane" or quiet in our life to prepare us for what is to come?
Many people look at the "mundane" life as not exciting. They want to go, go, go all of the time and are never willing to be still.
Those quiet times are necessary because we are able to fully hear the Lord.
We are able to fully SEE that "bush" that is burning. We are not just flying by it on the way to our next endeavor. God can then show His power in our lives in a way we could have never imagined simply because we finally stopped trying to be so busy ourselves and let the Lord take it all.
We need to have those moments of stillness to actually see God working.
Instead of rushing ahead on our own being busy, busy, busy, it is more important to slow down, be quiet and still.
That is what I am craving. I am longing for less busyness and more quality quiet time with the Lord.
Summer is coming and that is when my life can be more still before Him. That is when I am able to do my longer Bible study.
That is when I have time to just be quiet with Him.
How about you?
Do you need more quiet and less busyness?
You will never regret taking the time to sit at Jesus' feet. After all, that is what we, as true followers of Christ, will be doing for eternity.
So why not practice now?
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