Take time today to be silent before God out of respect for him. Search your heart and confess your sin. Consider his greatness and listen to what he reveals about himself.
Hi, I’m Joni and I want to tell you how I’m praying these days.
And this is what got me started. Some time ago I was reading Psalm 4, and when I read the fourth verse, it just stuck with me. God says, "Tremble and do not sin; when you are on your beds, search your hearts and be silent." Well, because of my disability, I spend a lot of time in bed. And maybe that’s why this verse stayed with me. And so, I took it to heart: God was telling me that when I am on my bed, I am to search my heart and be silent. You see that a lot in Scripture. When God wants to reveal himself to us, there’s always this thing about being silent. He even tells us to "be silent." Like in Isaiah 41, Psalm 46. Even in Revelation right when the Lamb breaks the seal? There is silence in heaven.
Keeping silent before the Lord is always a sign – wait a minute, show respect, deep respect, show wonder, and awe – ‘cause God wants us to be silent in his presence. Forget about yourself, Joni, and be filled with the awesome fear of the Lord. And that’s exactly what I did in bed, especially through the watches of the night when I could not sleep because of pain. “God,” I prayed, “help me to tremble before you. And help me not to sin, help me not to be so full of myself, full of pride, full of noise and busyness. Help me to search my heart, confess my sin, ‘cause I want to be drawn closer to you.”
And on my bed and in that silence at night, I kept pushing my thinking, I kept pushing my mind to explore the greatness of God. That he is greater than all the universe of galaxies and stars, he’s far stronger than magnetic fields, and dark matter, black holes, and supernovas. His power is far beyond the unendurable cold of fierce arctic storms, or the blast of sweeping sands in the desert. God is swifter than the speed of light, or comets, or orbiting planets. God is more terrifying than the heat of the sun’s surface, or the hot, explosive birth of a star. He breathes and the earth quakes, islands sink, mountains crumble. Better to have a millstone tied around your neck and be thrown into the depths of the sea than to offend this God!
And yet, as John Piper says, this same God cups his hand around me and says, “Take refuge in my love for you. Take refuge in my son, Jesus. And give him the honor due him.” Really?! Me, as sinful as I am? God cares about me? He sent Jesus to die for me? Oh, friend, that thought alone ratcheted up my reciprocating love for my Savior as nothing else. What a terrible thing to fall into the hands of the living God without hope, without a Savior! Yet, what a glorious privilege to know the favor of this God, this God who was so majestic and overflowing with universe-shaking power! What can I say?! These were the thoughts I had on my bed as I searched my heart and was silent before the Lord, all thanks to Psalm 4:4. It was also Piper who once said, “The terrors of God make the pleasures of his people intense. The fireside fellowship is all the sweeter when the storm is howling outside the cottage.” You know, I’ve got a long way to go in divesting myself of sin in order to know this great and glorious God. But I’m on my way. And I invite you to join me the next time you are on your bed. Search your heart, be silent, and listen – tell your soul to listen – and just see what the awesome God of the Bible reveals about himself. I’m Joni Eareckson Tada sharing hope, this glorious hope, with you today.
© Joni and Friends