Better Together: Connecting With God And Each OtherSample

Restoring Our Souls

A recent NBC poll showed that 81% of Americans confirm they need more quiet in their lives. Hotels and resorts are marketing packages for vacations where you are forced to unplug from phones, computers, and TV. People are paying money to find quiet.

We live in a world that explodes with noise. We are often unaware of how noisy our world is until we sit and try to be with Jesus. Even when we can mute the sounds around us, the noise in our busy heads and hearts can dim the still, small voice of God.

Deliberate dependency on God often fails because even if we want to surrender, the noise clambers for our attention and we quickly become distracted. We learn to hear the voice of self-sufficiency in the noise of the world, but we learn to hear God’s voice in the quiet.

Imagine the dependency sheep have on their shepherd. They go nowhere without him. He provides their food, protection, bedding, and schedule. He controls the noise in their environment to keep them focused and following. Jesus longs for us to depend on him as sheep to a shepherd.

Read that passage from Psalm 23 again. He makes. He leads. He restores. What does the idea of completely depending on Jesus stir up in you? Can you imagine a season of lying in green pastures, wandering by still waters, and feeling restored from deep within your soul?

Reflections:

• Think about the past 24 hours of your life. How much have you allowed God to make, lead, and restore you?
• What noise in your life consistently keeps you from hearing God’s voice and depending fully on him?
• Try this challenge - for one week, spend five minutes each day sitting with Jesus in quiet. Don’t read or pray or rattle off your list of thoughts to him. Just sit and absorb the quiet and the moments with him. Notice what he might say when you stop long enough to listen. Let him restore your soul.