Sanctuary in the Midst - Find a place
#1 Find a place to be still and quiet
Photo by Toimetaja tõlkebüroo on Unsplash Pirita, Tallinn, Estonia Anywhere you're waiting can become a place to be still and quiet on the inside. Also, how about every time you make a cuppa. Or when you're using the bathroom for whatever reason. An empty office, standing at the window, a favourite chair or a short walk. Once you've found your physical space you may still find it hard to silence the noise of the world. Phone apps that generate soothing soundscapes, or peaceful instrumental music, both played through headphones, can help you enter your space with God. Failing that, the simplest solution may be to stick your fingers in your ears. Now consciously relax your shoulders, your jaw, your feet, or wherever you hold tension in your body. Do this as a recognition that God has got you and that you trust Him. There's no need to fill this space with words. You don't need fancy or special practices, it's just you and God. You are making time for Him, even if it's just a minute or two it's better than no minutes and the more you make time for Him the easier it will be to slip into this sanctuary in the midst. Being still is about not striving. You don't need to solve anything. You don't need to bring your energy to this space. This is downtime for you, and space for God to minister to you. He wants to bless you. He wants you to know that He is your Father and you can be at rest with Him, even in the midst. Psalm 46 verse 10 invites us to be still and know that He is God. The word "still" has the sense of a pile of hay or wood sinking down in flames, or of dropping our arms by our side, sinking down, fully relaxed and at rest. Let these images speak to you of the rest God wants you to have. There is a time for everything, work and rest, busyness and stillness, noise and quiet. God knows we need the balance, we need to be active and we need to be still. Stillness in the midst of busyness, rest in the midst of work, quiet in the midst of noise, waiting in the midst of doing, these are all ways God blesses, restores, re-energises, soothes, even heals us.
You are invited and welcome to make this sanctuary in the midst.
Photo by Nathan Lindahl on Unsplash Resource Suggestions Sound apps: - My Noise - also available on the web at https://mynoise.net - White Noise Ambience YouTube channels: DappyTKeys Piano Worship relaxdaily Spotify artists: Fernando Ortega (Christian singer-songwriter, pianist, with some beautiful instrumental pieces amongst his songs)
Pieter de Graaf (pianist)
