Week 4 – PRAYER
A Still Mind
Kathy Lenz (2015 Lent devotional)
“Even God cannot put anything into what is already full. He does not impose Himself on us.” – Mother Teresa, Everything Starts from Prayer
I have a very busy mind. It is constantly talking. I often fall asleep with a running dialogue in my head and wake up to that conversation in the morning. Sometimes I wonder why I even sleep. Strangely, even though I get no rest, the ability to think and the desire to problem-solve is very addicting. I mean, doesn’t everyone feel extremely productive when they think so often?
2011 was a rough year. Many life events occurred; my already busy mind went into overdrive. It began to spit out all sorts of thoughts – anxious thoughts, sad thoughts, angry thoughts, exciting thoughts, and questioning thoughts. Even my prayers were filled with the same thoughts. Suddenly I found myself spinning out of control, unable to stop. Thoughts, many thoughts, took over my life; I was stressed out, worried, depressed and lost. In times of need, I could not hear God’s voice nor feel his presence. Was God there? Panic set in. I was losing it!
Then came this fateful day, a friend taught me how to quiet my mind through counting my breaths. Sounds simple, but it was hard to hold on to each breath without quickly losing count because I simply could not focus, not even on my own breaths. Finally, I succeeded. And for a moment in time, after many months of struggling, my mind went quiet; I finally had peace – freedom from all the anxious, depressing, and unhelpful thoughts. It was like the cloud opened up and the sun shined in. God’s presence was all around me again. Lord had mercy on me!
Jesus knows that our minds battle many thoughts and how easily the enemy comes in and make it a field day. That’s why He commanded, “Do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow has enough worries of its’ own.” Even Paul says, “We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.” (2 Corinthians 10:5 NIV). It is for our own benefit that He cautioned us about our thinking – stop worrying, and get clear on our thoughts by taking it to God to examine their truth. When we are so full and so confused, we cannot hear His voice.
Reflection: Busy minds think busy thoughts. How busy is your mind today? It is in the moment of stillness that God speaks. Let us practice quieting our mind today.