In the Stillness of Morning

Now that I am retired (still getting used to that) I’ve started the habit of waking up early-ish to make a cup of coffee and go out on the patio to enjoy.  To look around at the still, quiet morning – see the sky, look at the flowers and plants in my backyard, to close my eyes and listen to…nothing.  And I must be done before exactly 7:45am as that is when the sun peaks out over my neighbor’s roof as it rises in the morning sky to start the day and goes into my eyes.  But the time before that sun fully rises is like magic.

Where I currently dwell in Thailand is very quiet except for the occasional bird chirping.  The air is generally cool in the morning, too.  Unlike the Californian suburb where I used to live – with cars driving by, people powerwalking on their morning jogs or exercising the in the park that was in front of my house, or even the occasional airplane soaring in the sky on its way to LAX.  Now granted, growing up this way I always considered this to be a generally quiet environment.  I lived in a suburb which was nothing like the noise from a busy downtown city (like Los Angeles, or Bangkok, for that matter).  But here I can literally hear a pin drop in the morning and like I said, the only noise might be the occasional bird chirp.  But after 7:45am, sunshine pokes me in the eye and I hear my neighbor’s gate open followed by the revving of his motorcycle before he goes off to his morning workout or whatever he does.

Have you ever experienced a time where it is so peaceful and quiet like my mornings in Thailand pre-7:45am?  A time where you can really think, ponder, and meditate.  A time to look around at your surroundings and find your place, your moment to just…be.  It’s at those times where I connect with God, maybe meditate on a particular verse in the Bible, pray to my savior Jesus, or see inside myself to link with the Holy Spirit dwelling within me.  

It’s a powerful moment.  It doesn’t last long (unless I start to get up earlier) but it’s enough for me to know my Lord and Savior is here with me always and wants to communicate with me.  I just need to remember to slow myself down enough to tune out all the noise that puts up a wall between me and my savior.  But once I do – in that still moment of the morning – it’s so nourishing.  I invite you to try it yourself.  Find a quiet, still place and make a connection with Christ Jesus.  Be open.  Have a conversation.  Enjoy.  Here’s a few verses to guide you in that direction.  

• The Lord said (to Elijah), “Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.”  Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave.  Then a voice said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”
(1 Kings 19:11-13)

• You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. (Jeremiah 29:13) 

• “So, I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.” (Luke 11:9-10)

• I love those who love me, and those who seek me find me. (Proverbs 8:17)

• And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him. (Hebrews 11:6)


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