That Still Voice Within
Guard, through the Holy Spirit who dwells in us, the treasure which has been entrusted to you. ~ 2 Timothy 1:14
Two of my favorite writers/philosophers are Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau. Both men realized that following the status quo was not something people should do. Thoreau left city living behind to live in a cabin he made in the woods on Walden Pond in Massachusetts. He explained,
“I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived. I did not wish to live what was not life, living is so dear; nor do I wish to practice resignation, unless it was quite necessary (historyofmassachusetts.org).”
That speaks to me because all too often we get caught up in life happening: familial responsibilities, work, and the other stuff in between. Getting caught up means that things are whizzing by at warp speed and rarely do we stop and think about living on purpose or recharging our spirit. I’m so guilty of it and yet, God gently reminds me that I’m going over to the left instead of walking the path set before me.
Many believers struggle with finding time to do everything needing our attention. However, the one area that almost always suffers is our spiritual life. Despite hearing our spirit prod us to reconnect to God, we continue checking things off of our proverbial “to-do list.” Only when our life spins out of control do we come to a screeching halt and ask God to intervene. And our gracious Father comes to our aid as He doles out the consequences/lessons our disobedient behavior warrants.
The Bible tells us, Romans 8:2-6, that the Spirit of God gives us life, however, if we choose to live according to our flesh (the worldly way), things will not turn out the way we want. Instead, believers should strive to be led by the spirit which yields peace in every area of life. Accordingly, John 4:24 reminds us that “God is spirit, and His worshippers must worship in Spirit and in truth.” Yet, true worshippers know that they were created for God’s glory and a relationship with Him is essential to remain connected to Him and the indwelling Holy Spirit residing in every believer (Isaiah 43:7; John 14:15-17). Further, John 15:4-7 reminds us of the power source for all we are and will become.
Emerson and Thoreau did not believe in organized religion per se, however, both attribute their existence to a higher power. Both men believed in the necessity of reconnecting to that higher power and their choice to leave behind busy city life to do so. When I feel myself becoming overwhelmed by LIFE, I tend to get really, really quiet and retreat to my God space, walking the trail behind my apartment complex. That’s when my Spirit talks to God on my behalf because, with so much on my mind, I don’t know where to begin (Romans 8:26). After walking 30 minutes down the trail and 30 minutes back, my mind is quieted. My spirit is contented and a peaceful calm oozes from my being. Realizing that deliberate living requires my Spirit to remain plugged into God, the ultimate power source for everything (Acts. 17:28)…
- Worship in Spirit & Truth - December 26, 2018
- Am I Really Enough? - November 29, 2018
- God Promised - October 30, 2018
I like Emerson and Thoreau, too! Walking in the woods or along a wooded path quiets my soul, too. I think it may be something to do with the body’s rhythm, and the breathing, and allows the spirit to focus on the Spirit.
Your post really resonated with me, Denise. We just hosted our daughter and her husband for two weeks. I love them dearly, but company for ANY length of time, throws me WAY off. The first thing to go? My quiet time. And when the quiet time goes, everything seems to get harder. I really need to figure this out:/