Sticks of dynamite in a still pond. . .

Quiet time is an oxymoron. It's the phrase that we followers of Christ use to label our time with God. And yes, physically, it is a time of reflection, stillness, and meditation. It's a time when we become quiet and small before a very big God and look to His Word for direction and guidance. It's when we recognize our dependance on Him through prayer. It's when we, as the psalmist says, be still and know that He is God.

Recently, I began starting my quiet times with a prayer that David prays in Psalm 139. "Search me, Oh God." Before I crack open the Bible, before I focus on the needs of the day, I ask God to search me. To reveal the questions nagging at me, to bring to light sin that I'm hiding, to make me smaller and more in awe of a God who continues to mystify me and leave me speechless.

And that's when quiet time ceases to be quiet. At that point it's like God is taking a stick of dynamite and tossing it into a pond. As soon as the fuse burns down and that stick combusts, there is NO stillness in the water. All the grime and dirt that has been buried is brought to the surface. The surface of the waters is tossed and restless.

Quiet time without any reaction cannot be called devotion. As we read the Word,we find reactions stirring in our hearts. Sometimes it's awe, gratitude, and joy at the workings of the Lord. Sometimes it's guilt and embarassment at our sins, which drives us to our knees in forgiveness, in awe of grace, and . . . well, back to gratitude and joy. And the result is prayer. Praying for forgiveness, thanking God for grace, requesting His providential hand to continue working the circumstances of life for His will.

I found tonight as I let myself shrink back after quiet time that my prayer stopped focusing on what circumstances God could change in my life. Instead I found myself asking God for a change of attitude and heart in me. I found myself asking for contentment, peace, and devotion.

And that's when I realized why we have quiet time. It makes us small. It makes God big. It's an ultimate act of worship. And if you listen to your heart at these times, it's anything but silent.

C-Dubbs