The Power of Quiet Moments

“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters” (Genesis 1:1).

Hovering over the water, in the darkness before God spoke daylight into existence, in the quiet. Before all of the coming and going of the happenings of the earth, the sound of human voices and wildlife, it was quieter. God weaved the Sabbath into the seventh day of creation. He rested – not because He needed the rest – but because He knew we would need quiet moments. Isaiah 30:15 says, “In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength.” Tragically, God’s people “would have none of it.”

Scattered along the pages of Scripture, quiet instances of prayer preface big miracle moments. Jonah cried out to the Lord from inside the belly of a fish! (Jonah 2:1-9). David prayed in the cave hiding from a crazed King Saul. Daniel prayed in the lion’s den. Solomon prayed for wisdom (1 Kings 3:7-9). Hannah prayed, “There is no Rock like our God” (1 Samuel 2:1-10). Those are a handful in a sea full of prayers to the Lord. Quiet moments, seeking the One True God.  It isn’t just in the still peaceful morning prayer. In the middle of chaos, quiet moments of prayer are incredibly powerful.

Jesus set the tone of how we are to seek our Father. “Very early in the morning, while it was dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed” (Mark 1:35). Jesus knew, in order to execute His Father’s will on earth, He would need to be fueled by the power of prayer. The intimate connection through prayer and worship to our Father is incredibly powerful. Whether we are up at dawn before the sun in a still house to pray and seek God, or worshiping Him quietly in our hearts as we cut across the water at sunset, our relationship with our heavenly Father is developed just as richly in the quiet as in the hallmark, highlight reel.

Christ Jesus not only taught His disciples to pray by example, but gave them a model of prayer to root those quiet moments in:

“This, then, is how you should pray: ‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one’” (Matthew 6:9-13).

Jesus also prayed for us:

“My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me” (John 17: 20-23).

Quiet moments allow us to connect with God deeply, personally, and profoundly. Prayer and worship can make noise and yet still quiet our souls. However it may look for us to get quiet, let’s fight for those moments with our Father, with our Savior, with His Holy Spirit.

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“He says, ‘Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth’” (Psalm 46:10).

1. Peace

“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).

Disconnecting from the world’s view is important if we want to be able to see the world from the vantage point of the One who created it. When our souls stir our eyes to notice specific notes of God’s creation, peace floods our hearts. The peace of Christ never leaves us, but we can often be distracted; we are quite capable of forgetting about it.

Before we rushed my daughter to the ER for a diagnosis that would changer her life forever, she saw an eagle out the back door while I was braiding her hair that morning. I’ll never forget the way He went before us that day. My life is littered with quiet moments like that.

2. Joy

“But let all who take refuge in you be glad; let them ever sing for joy. Spread your protection over them, that those who love your name may rejoice in you” (Psalm 5:11).

The favor of the Lord brings His joy rushing into our lives. The joy of the Lord is our strength! In quiet moments, we remember the joy we have in Jesus. Joy that sustains us through impossible seasons and celebrates circumstances we never would have asked for or imagined for ourselves.

Psalm 5:11 reminds us how the Lord protects us. Quiet moments allow us to seek refuge in Him during the storms of our lives. He is faithfully close to the brokenhearted, and assures us we are never alone. In fact, He restores our joy.

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“The beginning of wisdom is this: Get wisdom. Though it cost all you have, get understanding” (Proverbs 4:7).

Wisdom will cost us everything we have, but the things we cling to on earth are nothing compared to the eternal things of heaven. Discernment is understanding what God is speaking in Scripture, and how He is weaving it into our lives with specific purpose and direction. Discernment is the accumulation of wisdom to the point we submit to God’s Truth over our own, and allow Him to direct our steps.

In quiet moments, God will illuminate His love for us, personally. Getting wisdom requires us to set aside our agendas and hurried to-do lists to stop and be with God. When we do, we find clarity in His direction for our lives. Not a complete picture, but surely a push towards the next right step on our journey.

4. Comfort

“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God” (2 Corinthians 1:3-4).

In quiet moments we find comfort. When life breaks us down, challenges us to rise beyond what we feel capable of, and stretch our emotions to the breaking point, God is faithfully there for us with a compassionate comfort that is unmatched. God’s love for us is the greatest story of all time (John 3:16). He is the God of second chances, redemption, healing, and miracles. Quiet moments of comfort with God equip us to turn and extend comfort to those He places in our lives, often with the same struggles we have just survived.

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The prayer Jesus prayed for future believers – for us – is the ultimate encouragement. The Lord is powerful enough to answer this prayer in each and every life Jesus prayed for. He hears, He answers, and He encourages us. Jesus prayed: “Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world. Righteous Father, though the world does not know you, I know you, and they know that you have sent me. I have made you known to them, and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them and that I myself may be in them” (John 17:25-26).

Quiet moments are powerful weapons, no matter how they look or sound on the outside. The still of our hearts beating for Christ is paramount to God.

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