I am writing this while sitting in my office early in the morning. It’s dark outside, and there is a gentle rain falling. There is no one else around. Everything is quiet. I am enjoying a warm cup of coffee. There is peace.
It will not be this way for long. I have no less than five meetings planned throughout the day. Our preschool will be opening in less than two hours. Parents will be shuffling their children to their classes. I will have the privilege to lead the children in chapel using songs and puppets. To say the kids are energetic is an understatement.
The point is that the quiet is rare. We are in such a hurry. I know there are many days I get up out of bed, and I don’t stop moving until I go to sleep at night. We are a people who have much to do. There is no end to the tasks to perform. Work is never done.
The danger in this is that we are always so focused on the urgent. Stuck in the rush, we miss the big picture. We end up becoming human-doings rather than human beings. At the same time it seems that for all our effort, we never accomplish that much.
Another pastor once shared with me the idea of “balcony time.” Many churches have balconies at the back of their sanctuary that overlook the first level. When you sit in the balcony, you get a broader perspective of the room. You see above everything. This pastor shared with me that this was where he would escape to find time to pray, to think, and to plan. It was the one quiet place in his church. It was his retreat. It was his sanctuary.
I don’t have a balcony in my church. But it is more about the concept. Create the space. Create the margin. Find that time to be alone with God to listen and to hear from him. It could be early in the morning. It could be late at night. It might be during your lunch break. Silence the noise. Turn off your phone. Turn off your computer. Turn off your music. Experience the silence. See above all the in individual tasks that compete for your attention.
Keep a pen and paper close at hand. This serves two purposes. First, if something comes to your mind that feels urgent, write it down and then set it aside. You may feel compelled to check an email. Resist the urge and just write it down to do later. A second reason for the pen and paper is if God puts a prompting upon your heart. You will be prepared to make a record of it. When the Apostle John receive "Revelation" he was told by God to write it down. If you give God the space to speak in your life, you may be amazed as to what he has to say. You will want to make a record of it.
Psalm 46:10 says: “Be still and know that I am God.” When God appeared to Elijah in 1 Kings 19:12 it says:
And behold, the LORD passed by, and a great and strong wind tore the mountains and broke in pieces the rocks before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind. And after the wind an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. And after the earthquake a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire the sound of a low whisper. 1 Kings 19:11–12 (ESV)
God is not discovered in the noise and commotion. He is found in the gentle whisper heard in the silence. At the beginning of Jesus’ ministry, he retreated to the desert for 40 days. We are also told that many mornings while it was still dark he would go and get away to pray before he hordes of people came out.
As a pastor, I will often counsel people who wonder where God is at in their life. Or they will be seeking direction on a decision but feel as if God is not giving them any input. Or they are going through a crisis in life, and they think that God doesn’t care. Maybe it is not so much that God is absent. Maybe it is that the person is not present with God.
There will always be work to get done. It is not going anywhere. By stepping away, stepping back, and stepping up you may realize that the urgent matters you feel so compelled to accomplish may not be all that important. God just might reveal your time and energy would much better spent elsewhere. So find your balcony! God is waiting!
Questions for Reflection
- What are your challenges in finding quiet time with God?
- Why do you think that this quiet time is important?
- What benefits have you found in your quiet time?
- Share your comments.
Larry Sewell says
Thanks for this message. I really have a hard time slowing down enough to allow God to speak to me through his word and quiet time. I’ll find more time to head for my “balcony”.
Joyce Gorman says
A very timely message today and so appreciated!
Betty says
Thanks so much for your message..I spend my mornings with God…and yes I do write down a prayer or scripture that I just read ..it took me a while to learn to do that..but how rewarding it is to go back to your journal and reread these passages!! Thanks again for all that you do.
JOAN says
Time in the morning with God – and I find I have time all day. I don’t have the time NOT to spend this time with Him. Amazing how this works.
judy kasyan says
I go to my front porch. Psalm 46:10 is my favorite, it has a lot of meaning for me.