For many of us, life is usually such a whirlwind of activity that there isn’t room or time to really get things in order. We’re too busy, too rushed, overcommitted, and stretched thin. But what if someone called a big time out? What if life slowed down? What if I got stuck in my house for a few weeks because of a worldwide pandemic?

And what if, just maybe, this big time out actually contains an invitation for us? What if it’s an opportunity to look at how we live, what we value, and where our priorities lie? Maybe it affords us time to learn stillness and contemplation. Those tend to be lost arts in this day and age. And perhaps, in our newfound stillness, we will find ourselves face to face with God.

Being Still Before God

It’s interesting that Scripture never says, “Be busy and know that I am God.” Rather, it is a call to stillness. “My soul, be quiet before God, for from Him comes my hope.“ (Psalm 62:5) In the quiet, we can actually hear God speak. In the stillness, we can feel the breeze of His presence and the warmth of His embrace.

I’ll be very honest and say that stillness did not come naturally to me. When God first asked me to try it, I thought He was trying to kill me. I fidgeted, squirmed, protested, and walked away. I couldn’t hear a thing, feel a thing, or sense a thing. So, I fidgeted some more and got straight on to the “weeping and gnashing of teeth” phase. But God insisted, and so I tried again, and again, and again…until stillness actually came. And then so did God, and He brought peace with Him, and companionship, revelation, and life. All of a sudden, my soul understood the value of stillness and the wisdom of a God who knew that I needed it even when I couldn’t see it.

An Invitation to Stillness

Here is your invitation, from a God who knows you, loves you, and wants your company:

‘Arise, my love, my fair one,
And come away.

‘For behold, the winter is past,
The rain is over and gone.
 
‘The flowers appear on the earth once again;
The time for singing has come,
And the voice of the turtledove is heard in our land.

‘The fig tree has budded and ripens her figs,
And the vines are in blossom and give forth their fragrance.
Arise, my love, my fair one,
And come away.’”

“O my dove, [here] in the clefts in the rock,
In the sheltered and secret place of the steep pathway,
Let me see your face,
Let me hear your voice;
For your voice is sweet,
And your face is lovely.”

Song of Song 2:10-14

Stillness in Marriage

The invitation to stillness also applies to our marriages. Maybe it’s time to get quiet with your soul and ask whether the way you’re living together as a couple is really what you wanted and had in mind when you said, “I do.” Are you the husband or wife you want to be? Are you having the effect you want to have on your family? What are you contributing to the atmosphere of your relationship? Is it grace and peace, understanding and patience, support and safety? Or is it impatience, criticism, and harm?

In the current season of “time out” that we are in, perhaps there’s a starting over that’s possible for you and your spouse. God wants for your marriage the same intimacy that He wants between you and Himself.  And it IS possible.

We at the Marriage Recovery Center would be honored to help you and your spouse work on your relationship and build something worth having. For more information on how we can help, please reach out to us at (206) 219-0145 or contact our Client Care Team.