Living Hope Community Church

The March Connections event occurred on Sunday the 13th. Right after church, we left for the Sweetwater Trail  for a short hike and a devotion. The trail (usually buzzing with mountain bikers) was quiet as we started off on the trail. We enjoyed conversations along the way, pointed out some interesting saguaros, and then stopped after about 40 minutes of walking to rest and share in a time of devotion. We reflected on Psalm 46:10: “Be still and know that I am God,” and talked about the importance of quiet time with God. We read a thought-provoking quote from Mother Teresa:

We need to find God
and He cannot be found in noise and restlessness.

God is a friend of silence.
See how nature – trees, flowers, grass -
grow in silence.
See the stars, the moon, the sun,
how they move in silence.

Is not out mission
to give God to the poor?
Not a dead God, but a living, loving God.

The more we receive in silent prayer,
the more we can give in our active life.
We need silence
to be able to touch souls.

The essential things is
not what we say,
but what God says
to us and through us.

All our words will be useless
unless they come from within.
Words
which do not give the Light of Christ
increase the darkness.

- Mother Teresa of Calcutta

We talked about how the world today doesn’t provide an atmosphere of understanding for the need to be quiet – to be still. Our world is about being and staying busy – constantly doing. But Psalm 46:10 undeniably says to “be still”. Even Jesus himself separated himself from everyone else just before he was betrayed to have a quiet moment with his father – our father.

We talked about how quiet time is something that must be practiced, just like everything else. We talked about the need to keep our thoughts captive during our quiet time, so they remain focused on God lest Satan should sneak in to take our thoughts captive. We talked about how sometimes the best place for quiet time is our in God’s creation – where you can marvel at the beauty He created and the intricacies of nature; an easy way to praise God and keep our thoughts focused on our Creator. We talked about how this allows God a straight line right to our hearts! He doesn’t have to speak over the radio, or the TV, iPod or other interferences. He can speak right to our hearts.

We encouraged the Connections group to find time during the week to set aside for ‘quiet time’ with God. We closed in prayer, posed for a group photos and headed back along the trail – refreshed and invigorated.