Dear Ones,
Hope you are enjoying  your weekend. Rain is forecasted for here all day but we have plenty of fun things to do with family. This morning was full of games, and a nerf war, and the guys are at  Mark’s work now watching a new movie. Tomorrow after church we will head towards Kurt’s in Kansas City, so appreciate continued prayers for our travels. 
Devotions from Judy’s heart
How great is our desire to hear from God? He speaks in so many ways every day. We think of the disciples and others gathered together after Jesus was resurrected and ascended back to heaven; they closed themselves up in the upper room and waited for the promised Holy Spirit. They weren’t sure when that would happen but no matter how long it took, they were waiting indefinitely. We might ask ourselves if we would have been patient and waited 10 days or would we have gotten impatient and gone back to our regular busy routines. I’m sure the disciples were thankful they waited as the Lord spoke in a spectacular way with tongues of fire and in many languages; but there are other times that God speaks in a very quiet way and it is worth waiting in silence. I am reading a book by Ruth Barton called Invitation to Solitude and Silence. The practice of doing nothing in silence for an extended period of time is difficult for most of us but it is a time we stop making demands on God and seek to just be in His presence and listen. Ruth herself was told by her spiritual director that she was like a jar of river water all shaken up and needing time for the swirling sediment in her soul to settle. Perhaps that is true of most of us for we are all faced with so many distractions that cause our attention to go away from the Lord, and we get bothered by many things. We need to be quiet and go apart and spend time in silence with Him. Ruth discovered the discipline of silence at a time in her life when she was very busy but felt confused and lonely and knew there must be more. Spending 10 minutes alone in quiet with the Lord was very challenging to her but she answered the invitation to spend that time with Him. It’s not a time to talk and tell God all our needs but rather a time to be quiet and notice what surfaces from deep down; it’s a time to let go and to and to know God in a deeper way. We just show up and let God do the rest, whatever is on His agenda. It helps to have a special place to be alone, to set a time when it would work best, and to choose a prayer that expresses our desire for Him…something simple like, Lord have mercy, or Your peace, etc. Then just be and put all your concerns into God’s hands. No matter if God speaks in dramatic ways or in a gentle whisper, let us patiently wait and listen. David said in Psalm 62:1-2 (ESV), “For God alone my soul waits in silence; from Him comes my salvation. He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall not be greatly shaken.”
Blessings on your weekend and prayers and love, Judy
Challenge for today: Spend 10 minutes in silence with the Lord in a quiet place, listening to His voice.