Quietness and Strength
Isaiah 30: 15 (New Living Translation)
In quietness and confidence is your strength.
A dear friend and mentor of mine, a long time children’s Sunday School teacher taught me to memorize and keep a “pocket verse” always with me. Today’s scripture is my pocket verse. I even have a small, framed version given to me by friends.
Truth is, if I don’t pay attention and allow it, I become a stressed worrier. I can play “could have, should have, would have, and what if” with the best of you. When I find myself in a stressful or tense situation, I lean on my faith, guided by that pocket verse. Often, as I face serious choices, medical tests, family issues, even scary traffic situations, I seek quiet.
Faced with conflict, you may witness me step off to the side to “regroup” or breathe. Before I am called to participate and serve in a public setting, I always find a moment to center, prepare and seek God’s strength and confidence. That pocket verse is very real for me.
In our current world, we often hear “just breathe” when facing a difficult moment. Actually, its excellent advice. Because, in that moment of breathing, whether it be short or long, we have a chance to center, connect and focus on God, our relationship and our work together. We lean in and on His wisdom. Indeed, we are weaving our hearts with His love and guidance.
Our quietness, shutting out all the other distractions, is never wasted. It is not passive, but rather an active seeking and bonding. In that quietness, we listen – really listen and once again have the strength and confidence to face life.
So, yes – “just breathe” is accurate. Breathe in God’s presence and care. You are intertwining your life, your hope with Him. We must remember though, we need to breathe, to surround ourselves with quiet not only in the hard times, but also in the good moments. God longs for us to share our lives with Him fully.
In the quiet moments of breathing in God’s presence, we find our strength. What a blessing to settle in and to breathe in God’s quiet and strengthening presence. As we face life’s challenges, let us be filled with the confidence and peace of God’s love and remember to breathe.
May we pray together:
Loving God, we come to you in this moment in quiet and away from the noise of our day. We pray that our lives will be connected and bound with your love and strength. Provide us with the confidence that only your love can provide. We seek to be always aware of your presence and remain confident in our service. We lift this prayer in the name of your son, Jesus Christ. Amen.
This devotion was written and recorded by Lisa Blackwood.
Grace for All is a daily devotional podcast produced by the members of the congregation of First United Methodist Church in Maryville, Tennessee. With these devotionals, we want to remind listeners on a daily basis of the love and grace that God extends to all human beings, no matter their location, status, or condition in life.
If you would like to respond to these devotionals in any way, we would enjoy hearing from you. Our email address is: podcasts@1stchurch.org.
First United Methodist Church is a lively, spirit-filled congregation whose goal is to spread the message of love and grace into our community and throughout the world. We are located on the web at https://1stchurch.org/.
