My passion is to follow Christ and to grow to be more like Him. That is such a profound, and I must confess, simple phrase to type upon this page. I never realized as a young Christian many years ago, that to truly know God and to grow in His grace, that life would take me and my family through some dark valleys, painful trials, personal hardship, and times of suffering and loss.
At times I have lost my way, fallen into a few painful crevasses, and discovered that each time, that the Gentle Shepherd is true to His promise...He will come looking for those who stray, and He will carry them back to a place where He can give tender nurturing and healing. Then with His tender compassion and mercy, He sees in us more than we can see in ourselves, and as He lifts us to our feet and urges us to press on .... and we once again believe that we can, and hope is born anew.
As a testimony of thanksgiving to Jesus Christ, and His infinite grace, I am writing this blog with hope that it will perhaps help others who have also struggled, to explore the process of deepening their relationship with God. Who have perhaps come close themselves to giving up. If we can avoid that slow drifting that so often happens to us in the course of our life, we will be more likely to stay on the narrow path that leads to a deeper walk with God.
In our present world that is so full of crammed schedules, demanding work and home responsibilities, financial hardship in a strained economy, and a myriad of health problems, many find it increasingly difficulty to maintain a daily quiet time with God.
I hope that together with me, you might find this to be a peaceful, safe, and meaningful place to explore and experience the wonderful privilege of walking with God, and enjoying the creative interaction of a growing fellowship with one another.
We all need significant times in our lives where we can experience the peacefulness of complete and total silence. Quiet moments are where we can make a heartfelt exploration of our deepest questions and pose them before the Almighty God of the universe.
God is timeless, yet He pauses, draws near to our hearts, and listens to what we are truly saying when no one else is really listening.
Throughout history there has been a void in the heart of man that resounds with urgency. It expresses a deep yearning that is palpable and reflects an intense desperation that is the heart cry of the human soul that is separated from God.
Every person who has ever lived has experienced the awareness of a profound inner thirst, deep within the heart. It is an awareness of an intense spiritual need that can only truly be satisfied when he can commune together with God in unhindered worship. The reality of this inner spiritual void exists within us regardless of our age, gender, race, or nationality.
One of Satan's most common strategies to enslave a person, is to create counterfeit peace and purpose. Satan's subtle lie is to get us to believe that pleasure will bring a physical and spiritual fulfillment that will mimic communion with God.
All to soon what was thought to be that which would bring pleasure, happiness and fulfillment, becomes a dark pathway into bondage and despair. This has been true since the beginning of man's pilgrimage on earth. In spite of all of the sentimental poetry, romantic novels, tender musical ballads, or passionate love stories depicted in movies, there is no earthly relational experience that can truly satisfy the innermost loneliness of the human heart.
The deepest loneliness that can consume us, is a result of our soul being homesick for the intimate relationship with God that we were originally created to enjoy continuously. Before the fall, the Quiet Place was the entire expanse of a created paradise for Adam and Eve known as the Garden of Eden. At that time, wherever Man was, God was with him.
God wants us to understand that there is nothing apart from Him that can truly fill the inner void within man. It was lost by man, and that capacity to commune with God was originally created by Him, and only He, through His Spirit, can dwell there. For Adam and Eve, the Quiet Place was experienced in the external beauty of the Garden of Eden, before the fall, as they walked and lived in a daily moment by moment communion with God.
Now we are no longer able to go to the Garden of Eden to commune with God, but we don't need to be in despair over this issue, because God has wondrously created the capacity for us as born again through Jesus Christ, to experience an internal Edenic Garden through the indwelling of His Spirit, that enables us to worship Him freely, and enjoy Spiritual communion with Him moment by moment.
My hope is that in some meaningful way, the articles shared here will encourage a burdened heart, or touch a parched tongue with a drop of cool water, so that you might see a tiny glimmer of light that reflects the way to the pathway that leads to the true Fountain, from which Living Water can truly be found. (John 7:37-38)
My purpose in naming this blog 'The Quiet Place' is so that we can explore ways to reach deeply into that intimate place that God created back in Eden, that was made for our specific and intimate communion with only Him. Now He has made it possible that the garden can be within our hearts.
We can walk with our God, free of fear, shame, and unworthiness, and know that Jesus, the Lamb of God, has made a way into the Holy Place, through His precious Blood, so that we might have access to the Father Heart of God to commune with Him in The Quiet Place within.Take a few moments and play this worshipful song, The Quiet Place, sang acapella by Julie Gaulke. Close your eyes, fade away from everything that is on your mind and renew once again your desire and commitment to take time each day to meet with God in your own Quiet Place.
“Come with me by yourselves to a Quiet Place and get some rest.” Mark 6:31
