But the Lord stood with me and gave me strength.    2 Timothy 4:17

Praise God it’s Tuesday!  I hope today is a wonderful day for you!

How many times during the day do you sit quietly and rest your mind?  Do you find that by the time you sit down to rest and listen to God, you are so exhausted that you fall asleep? Do you laugh when people talk about scheduled quiet time, because you have no idea when you would fit it in?  I wish I could say that I haven’t been there, but I have.  I have every moment in the day scheduled out, and I’m usually behind schedule in at least one place, if not many.

Today, I was rushing through my morning routine racing the clock, when I received a message loud and clear “just be still”.  It was then that I realized sometimes I might be busy for the wrong reasons.  Even when I’m busy for the right reasons, I still need to sit quietly and listen to God.

Several years ago I was introduced to the concept of contemplative prayer. Simply stated, it’s a way to listen to God without bringing a long list of requests. Many books have been written on the subject and I encourage you to explore contemplative prayer.  I highly recommend it for quiet moments, because sometimes we need to be still to hear what God has to say.  Being anxious or busy does not get prayers answered any sooner.  We need to take time to restfully listen throughout the day, even if we need to schedule it in.

Today, I encourage you to try five minutes of contemplative prayer every day.  God bless you.