One of the great Biblical themes is about learning to be still and listening for and experiencing the presence of God.
The Psalm writer says: “.… I am humbled and quieted in your presence. Like a contented child who rests on its mother’s lap, I’m your resting child and my soul is content in you. O people of God, your time has come to quietly trust, waiting upon the Lord now and forever….” Psalm 131:2-3 (TPT)
The image is of a small child resting quietly, carried in its mothers arms.
The Psalmist also says: “…Be still before the Lord, and wait patiently for him; do not fret when people succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes.” Psalm 37:7 (NIV)
Being still; waiting with patience can be hard when you are itching to get out there and fix things right now, yourself!
The prophet Jeremiah writes the Book of Lamentations at the most distressing time anyone could imagine. Jerusalem had been destroyed. The people were in captivity — everything they had known and hoped for had traumatically ended and Jeremiah was bewildered and lost. Yet the way forward, is to sit quietly and wait on the Lord. Jeremiah writes this in Lamentations 3: 18-32
“… Everything I had hoped for from the Lord is lost! The thought of my suffering and homelessness is bitter beyond words. 20 I will never forget this awful time, as I grieve over my loss. Yet… I still dare to hope, when I remember this: The faithful love of the Lord never ends! God’s mercies never cease. 23 Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning. …. [26] So it is good to wait quietly for salvation from the Lord. … 28 Let them sit alone in silence beneath the Lord’s demands. … 31 For no one is abandoned by the Lord forever. 32 Though he brings grief, he also shows compassion because of the greatness of his unfailing love….” Lamentations 3: 18-32
