We can’t always be on call, twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. Even Jesus rested on the seventh day. When the crowds pressed in on him relentlessly, you got it, he checked out for a while and spent time in prayer. I used to have a Big Ben clock. It was the kind that you had to wind up ever so often in order for it to work. It was loud enough and obnoxious enough that I was never late for anything when I set it.

Apparently, I had set the alarm to go off out of habit, only on this particular day, I didn’t need to be anywhere. Everything was going well, until the alarm blared in my ear. Then, half asleep, I reached over, turned it off and threw it. Now, I’m not advocating that we should all throw our alarm clocks away, but sometimes, there are more pressing matters to attend to, and we would be wise to pay attention to the things that truly matter.

There’s nothing wrong with being punctual to all events, but in our punctuality, let’s don’t forget that sometimes you may need to push aside the alarm clocks that demand your attention, shut out all of the voices that try to infect you with confusion and doubt, and learn to just be quiet.

When was the last time that you took the time to breathe in fresh air? I can probably count on one hand the number of times that I have actually took a break from busyness to just sit on the back screened in porch and listen to the Lord trying to talk to me. Usually, I am so caught up in accomplishing this and that item on my to do or else face the consequences list, that I am just about as wound up as the Big Ben that I threw across the room, so many years ago.

Oh, and by the way, I didn’t destroy the clock, it gave me many more years of service, which reminds me, that even though I do need to take the time to regroup, I also need to remember that to win in this race, I do have to be committed to get back in the race and run. For this to be accomplished, I must trust in the Lord. I can have confidence in his promise to me, but it requires that I will have a measure of faith to believe God.

The world events may seem to spiral out of control, at times, but always remember that God has the ultimate control over our circumstances, and if we learn to keep temporal situations in perspective, then the Lord will step into our lives, and change our future to one filled with a peace that passes all understanding.

In Quietness and Confidence