Oh that Mary’s example may be said about each of us. Do others realize that you have spent time with Jesus? Do you carry that fragrance with you wherever you go and to those you interact with?

Acts 4:13 says, “And when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated and untrained men, they marveled. And they realized that they had been with Jesus.” Evidence demands a verdict.

John wrote about the disciples’ experience with Jesus. 1 John 1:1 says about it, “…which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, concerning the Word of life.”

They walked daily with the Lord. There were eyewitnesses of His works. Think about being there when He multiplied the five loaves and two fishes. It was a paltry amount for 5,000 men. Yet the disciples handed out the food and held the baskets with the leftovers.

Moses spent time with the Lord. When he came down from the mountain he did not know that his face was shining with God’s glory. Exodus 34:29 says, “…that Moses did not know that the skin of his face shone while he talked with Him.”

2 Corinthians 3:13 says that Moses had to put a veil over his face. Yet, we are invited to gaze upon the Lord through our intimate communion. Like Mary, we are never the same. Verse 18 says, “But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.” We are transformed by dwelling in His permeating Presence.

David wrote his Psalms pre-cross. We read them post-cross. Psalm 138:8 says, “The Lord will perfect that which concerns me; Your mercy, O Lord, endures forever; do not forsake the works of Your hands.” As we know from Philippians 1:6 that the Lord will continue His work until He takes us into eternity.

Here is something the Holy Spirit pointed out to me just now as I was proofreading my next book, “Persistent Faith: silent trust in God alone.” Exodus 33:7 says, “Moses took his tent and pitched it outside the camp, far from the camp, and called it the tabernacle of meeting…”

I always read it before as if it were a separate tent. It was his living quarters! He made his life the place where he met with God. Liken this to our quiet time. We set aside time, away from our busy life, to meet with the Lord in intimate communion.

Dwelling in the present in His Presence is like Mary. Luke 10:38-42 is a narrative about two sisters. Verse 38 says that Martha welcomed Jesus into her house. Verse 39 says of Mary, “…who also sat at Jesus’ feet and heard His word.”

Verse 40-41 might be a good example for us of staying too busy to spend quality time communing with the Lord~sitting at His feet. The narrative says that Martha was distracted with much serving. Jesus spoke to her in verse 41, “…Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things.”

Here is my take away. Jesus said in verse 42, “But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part…” I love John 12:3 which was written about Mary. She, “…took a pound of very costly oil of spikenard, anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped His feet with her hair…”

Note how her act of love affected her and everyone around her. The verse went on to say, “…And the house was filled with the fragrance of oil.” Sitting at Jesus’ feet prepared her for the good work He preordained for her to walk in. 

Ephesians 2:10 says that the good works He has prepared for us were, “…prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.” Hebrews 13:21 clues us into His purpose for our trials. It says, “Make you complete in every good work to do His will, working in you what is well pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ…” 

We would be incomplete if we resisted the very tool the Lord was using to shape us into the vessel He needs to accomplish His purpose in our lives. When I think of the word ‘working’ my mind always goes back to when I was learning how to do wheel pottery.

The clay is dry and hard. No one can form anything until the clay is prepared properly. It requires a lot of water, kneading, and patience. Once the clay is ready to be shaped, it is placed on a potter’s wheel.

At that point the wheel begins to spin. My hands were too weak to center my clay. My instructor had to place his hands over my hands to help me. The essential step of pressure causes the clay to center in the potter’s hands. Only then can it be shaped.

The Lord uses our trials to center us on Him. Even a mature believer can become distracted and derailed. Philippians 1:6 assures us that what the Lord has begun in our lives He will complete. Psalm 18:30 says, “As for God, His way is perfect; the word of the Lord is proven; He is a shield to all who trust in Him.”

Since His way is perfect, His desire is that we walk in it. He uses our trials as verse 32 says to make our way perfect. Perfect is not perfection, but rather the word used for the maturing process. 

John 14:21 gives us a glimpse into our love’s tangible entrance through intimate communion. It says, “He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him.”

John 3:16 says that God so loved the world. That is everyone without exception. Yet, to the believer we are brought into that love relationship of loving communion. 2 Peter 1:4 says that we become partakers of His nature (verse 3) through our knowledge of Him.

Ephesians 3:19 described it as experiential, meaning that we live in it. The Amplified says, “(That you may really come) to know (practically, through experience for yourselves) the love of Christ, which far surpasses mere knowledge (without experience)…”

How do we most effectively learn His love through our experiences? Through hard trials, hardships, adversities, afflictions, suffering, and facing the impossible. We embrace Him through intimate communion.

Saying something like, ‘Get me out of this’ or ‘I can’t stand this any more’ are words of resistance. Through them we miss His gift of grace that will be our sufficiency moment by moment. 

God’s intended end was stated in James 5:11. “…the end intended by the Lord—that the Lord is very compassionate and merciful.” Psalm 145:9 says, “The Lord is good to all, and His tender mercies are over all His works.” We are His workmanship of love according to Ephesians 2:10.

Equipped To Endure

Our example of endurance is Jesus. Hebrews 12:2 says, “…who for the joy set before Him endured the cross…” What was that joy? Us! He knew that His death on the cross would bring us into the newness of life. Sin separates us from God. Jesus paid our penalty in full, creating a way for us to have fellowship with Him.

Obeying (observing to do) God’s word is the key to endurance. Hebrews 5:8 says that Jesus learned obedience by the things that He suffered. Paul said in Philippians 4:12 that he learned contentment through being full, hungry, abounding, and suffering.

Our salvation experience is an open invitation for growing in a close relationship with Jesus. We can approach Him at all times during the day or night. His heart is always open to us. His love does not ebb and flow, but is constant and full. Hebrews 4:15 says that He sympathizes with our weaknesses, because He was tempted as we are, yet without sin.

Since He knows our thoughts before we think them, we have no need to hide. Verse 16 says that we can come boldly, at any time, and will find grace and mercy for our need. Here is a verse in a new song that taught me a truth I did not consider before.

Extravagant Oil Of Joy

With joy I lift my heart in song. A song that flows through me like a river. A song that cascades and rushes to be expressed. In pure worship knowing Your joy as You behold me.

Do you personally believe that the Lord finds joy beholding you? My years of self-hatred and self-rejection blocked that truth from my heart. When the Holy Spirit sang this new song to me, the chains around my heart snapped apart.

Hebrews 12:6 indicates that our trials, afflictions, and hardships are evidence of God’s love. Paul’s instruction to Timothy is key for us as well. 2 Timothy 2:3 says, “You therefore must endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.”

The writer of Psalm 119 addressed the benefit of their affliction. Verse 67 says, “Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I keep Your word.” 

Proverbs 3:11-12 was the king’s words to his son. It says, “My son, do not despise the chastening of the Lord, nor detest His correction; for whom the Lord loves He corrects, just as a father the son in whom he delights.”

Do you truly believe that the Lord delights in you? Zephaniah 3:17 says, “The Lord your God in your midst, the Mighty One, will save; He will rejoice over you with gladness, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing.”

Paul’s thorn in the flesh was his teacher. He pleaded with the Lord three times to remove it. Yet, the Lord’s answer gave Paul a different perspective. Our trials hone our vision to turn us from shortsightedness to broad spectrum.

Tunnel vision is used metaphorically to denote the reluctance to consider alternatives. We tend to focus on our circumstances, rather than fixing our eyes on Jesus. Here is a verse in a new song called Song Of The Altar. Nothing can overtake me when I hide in You. Nothing can overwhelm me when I look to You. I set my eyes on You and I gaze into Your face. I bask in the love of Your eyes full of grace.

Passé is a French word that means to pass. We might use it today to say something is outdated. Every regret is from the past. Isaiah 43:18 says, “Do not remember the former things, nor consider the things of old.”

Consider means to think about or ponder over. I liken it to mental gymnastics. When we bring regrets into our mind, we bring them into our present. We are disobeying God’s word to ‘do not’ because we do. 

Verse 19 in the Amplified says, “Behold, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs forth; do you not perceive and know it and will you not give heed to it?…” Behold is used in God’s word to arouse us to take notice. Heed means to pay careful attention to something with the intent to carry it out.

We heed an instructor. When I want to learn how to do something, I pay close attention to every detail. As you read earlier about my bird visitor, the unusualness caught my attention. I knew the Lord wanted to instruct me.

Psalm 16:7 says, “I will bless the Lord who has given me counsel; my heart instructs me in the night season.” We can apply this verse in several ways. All actions are first thoughts. What we think about when we first wake up, is a clue of what we thought about when we went to bed.

Going to sleep with regrets on our mind, will cause us to wake up in a bad mood. Our best night’s sleep would take place after our last thoughts were of gratefulness. Just before you go to sleep, I encourage you to tell the Lord five things that you were grateful for during your day.

Here is a new song to help give you some word pictures for stillness. When our silent time is focused on the Lord, He restores our soul through resting in Him. The fruit is joyous worship.

Place Of Stillness

I come into the place of stillness to find my rest in You. Removing every weight of care I bow in adoration. I set my gaze on You. I behold You beholding me. O the wonder of such love, redeeming love for eternity.

You draw me to Yourself to whisper words of hope. You fill me with Your fullness, until Your glory fills my soul. My heart is Yours. I sing and dance before You. No cares from this earth intrude, in my worship of You Who is worthy.  

Be glorified. Be high and lifted up as I sing the victorious song of faith. Thank You for including me, when You died on Calvary. You forgave my sins, past, present, and future, to bring me to Yourself in intimacy.

Stillness, quietness, rest~restoration, rejuvenation, worship. Isaiah 32:17 says, “The work of righteousness will be peace, and the effect of righteousness, quietness and assurance forever.” Being silent before the Lord requires faith that He accepts us, and delights in us just as we are. 

We so often believe the lie that we have to always be doing. Abiding is being. It is our vital union which bears the quality of fruit that glorifies Him. Psalm 27:4 were David’s heart words of desire, “One thing…to behold the beauty of the Lord…”

Silence Feeds Our Spirit

Romans 8:5 says, “For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit.” Colossians 3:2 says, “Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth.”

1 Corinthians 2:12 says, “Now we have received…the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God.” We come to know the Lord through our intimate communion with Him.

I love to sit and look into tide pools. It requires absolute stillness, otherwise the inhabitants will remain hidden. Our silence allows the hidden to be revealed. The inner life activity is a delightful pastime.

Our flesh has no communion with God. 2 Corinthians 6:14 says, “…For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness?” Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 lists contrasting times. Verse 7 says that there is, “…a time to keep silence, and a time to speak.” 

Psalm 62:8 bids us to pour out our heart before the Lord. Verse 5 says to wait silently before Him. In my experience, when I am most troubled, my heart is soothed when I just come into His Presence and remain silent. I breathe in the magnitude of Who He is at all times. I bask in His love for me. I drink in His joy and acceptance. No words. He knows my heart and embraces it with infinite tenderness.

Picture a small calm lake. As you walk near the edge and lean over, you can see your reflection. You can also see the bottom of the lake. This is how I picture Psalm 23:3-4. It says, “…He leads me beside the still water. He restores my soul…”

Many years ago I sat with my friend at the foot of Mt Hood in Oregon. We looked out across a small body of still water as we ate our lunch. It was peaceful, relaxing, and restorative. 

Psalm 119:37 says, “Turn away my eyes from looking at worthless things, and revive me in Your way.” The Amplified says, “…restore me to vigorous life and health in Your ways.” We know from Isaiah 55:9 that God’s ways are higher than our ways.

We might consider that silence is counterproductive. I certainly did when the Lord first led me into this part of my relationship with Him. Entering into a time of silence before the Lord, greatly agitates our hidden flesh.

I did not like naps when I was small. I found them a huge disruption to what I wanted to do. That is a great picture of our flesh~silence disrupts our flesh’s agenda. A few hours ago, an elderly neighbor, her daughter, great grandsons, and two dogs walked by.

The noise brought me to my window to see what all the racket was. I smiled. They were having a delightful outing, but it broke through my quiet space. Our flesh is so happy when it is the center of attention.