a quiet entrance

This morning, a dear friend sent me an article from Paul Tripp, a pastor and author based out of Philadelphia. Her timing was impeccable, as I currently live life wide awake and desperately searching for God's will. What is He calling me to? Where is He pulling me? Why is He waiting? I sense new action in my life - action fast approaching - but I (despite all my efforts) cannot decipher what that action is. Is it a change in my life? Is it an addition to my routine? Is it the removal of a circumstance?

#questionsunanswered

Paul's article speaks to God's secret will and the gift He has given us in make His love not so secret. He ends the article with a calming and powerful call to action:

Rest in knowing that as you willingly obey God, God will lovingly guide you.

So much of scripture speaks to rest, peace, and stillness. It is in the quiet that He makes His love known and in the listening that He makes His will clear.

By the end of last week, I knew it was time to listen...

Upon hearing some powerful words and surrounding scriptures on Sunday, I left church and sat in the driveway of a vacant home (yes. This has become too much of a tradition...#dreamhousealert). Tears fell from my eyes as I knew God was calling us to make our home in this city. I sense Him opening doors. I see the gifts He has given us through incredible relationships and a truth-centered Church community. I don't know how or why or when, but He is rooting us, and the process is full of (sometimes painful) refinement and infinite grace.

After my "this is happening" encounter, I spent the day aimlessly driving, visiting friends in the character-laden neighborhoods of this "Holy City." As my car rounded the corner and parked outside of our tiny, one-bedroom apartment, I stood in awe of God's design. A year ago, we were unclear on His will for our lives. We were clear on His sovereignty and chose to grab hold of one another and say yes to the desires He placed on our hearts. And now, we're here...it's as though the journey happened in my sleep. The shifts in our lives...the development of new community...the growth in our marriage...in the days it seems subtle. In totality, it is magnificent.

Sunday night, I was thirsting for more from Him and pulled out my lent journal - I just couldn't wait to launch day one of what will be a phenomenal 40 day journey. (I've since put it away to hold out...#goodgirl). In reading His words in Luke, I was struck by the sheer simplicity of Jesus' introduction to His community. God did not send His son in loud, triumphant circumstance. He did not raise Him within alabaster columns or golden thrones. He did not surround Him with pomp and circumstance.

He came in the quiet.

If He came in the quiet, why do we search for Him elsewhere? What do we seek to fill that space? Is He there? Following His will does not require an extra set of glasses to finally see it or clear and distinct writing on the wall. His will comes in the quiet of our hearts - at the very depth of our being that He constructed. His will is in His word - in His love letter written to us.

He came in the quiet, and we find Him there still........

Be still, and know that I am God.
Psalm 46:10