Meet our friend Silence

^{David wrote in Psalm 62:1, "I wait quietly before God for my victory comes from Him."}  

^{The journey of faith is essentially a journey of increasing reliance upon God--cultivated in silence.  Silence places us in the sometimes awkward, sometimes maddening position of being dependent upon something other than ourselves. Waiting quietly before God is a definitive admission that "I can't do it all."  While this may be difficult to accept, it's true.  Living in that reality provides sanity for the soul.} 

^{So how do we do silence before God? Tomorrow I'll list the steps that we discussed Sunday (with some free bonus material), but today I want you to understand one thing:  YOU CAN'T MESS THIS UP!} 

^{As long as you prioritize God above all else in these quiet times, you're hitting the mark.  Pray and ask God to draw near to you and lead you through those quiet moments.  The possibilities are endless:}

• ^{Meditate on a passage of scripture.  For starters try Psalm 1, John 15, or Matthew 5:1-12.}
• ^{Enter into a season of true prayer where you talk and listen.}
• ^{Review your notes from a sermon that challenged you and ask God to lead you to live it.}
• ^{Contemplate an attribute of God: faithfulness, justice, or holiness.}  
• ^{Review the words of a song that inspires you to hope and faithfulness, like Amazing Grace.}
• ^{Ask God to help you count your blessings.}  

^{The only way you can really mess silence up is if you avoid it.  Now let's get quiet!}