Creating Space | Previous Challenge Entry

how it works

TITLE: Creating Space | Previous Challenge Entry
By Glen Goddard
01/10/16
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Years ago, about this time of year, I admitted that my life was a collection of insane schedules; all creating too much noise. Noise in the world of Physics according to the dictionary: "A disturbance, especially a random and persistent disturbance, that obscures or reduces the clarity of a signal." My life was loaded with persistent components of long work days, staying up with increasing teen schedules, demands of college, church leadership activities, and home demands. Life kept increasing its demands on my limited 24 hours each day. Gandhi once said "There is more to life than increasing its speed." As I thought about it, increasing speed increases friction which increases noise. I yearned in my soul for some rest but was doing little to combat noise of being too busy. There was another component of my life that actually was the trigger that started my thinking in this direction. It was a flaw in my spiritual life; a small crack in my armor that I knew I must fix soon. I felt guilty about it but kept telling myself that I did not have the time for God.

And then this verse got highlighted by the Holy Spirit, "[Jesus] ... often retreating to lonely to places to be alone and pray." [Luk 5:16] Jesus led a very noisy life during His ministry. He was sent by His Father to change the course of Godly worship in just three years. Jesus, the most powerful and influential man in history followed the example of every great man of God - Moses, David Livingstone, the prophet Amos, Billy Graham - to name a few - and many more invisible in the annuals of history. The people that God has used to shape the course of this world have this at the core of their priorities: time alone with God!

So that year, I made a resolution of a different sort. I say different because I had heard it said that Satan will always be in the business of moving me away from the presence of God to a position of doing something better for God. Social science calls that behavior modification. My resolution was not doing something better for God. If Jesus' antidote to the noise in His life was the spiritual practice of creating a space for His Father in silence, then who am I to say that I did not have time? I needed to do the same. So I determined to make space for God. I reasoned silence is important so I can voice my concerns to God without distraction. And I need to be listening to God without distraction. Call it what you want - quiet time, personal devotions, the morning watch, holy minutes or individual worship - this space created at the start of each day explain the inner secret of Christianity.

Being in the presence of God is a place of refreshment. Today we live in a world where the norm is nations are in a uproar and kingdoms are falling. God says repeatedly "Come and see what I have done...." "Be still, and know that I am God." Take some time to listen to your Creator speak to your soul. Read Psalm 46.

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