Quiet Part Dos

As I mentioned in the previous post, Quiet, instead of giving up a material object for Lent I was going to refocus my attention and prayer time with quiet. Instead of listening to music in the car, I turned off everything and used that time to talk with, and more importantly listen to, God. I’m not going to lie, it was very difficult at first. My habits had me wanting to roll the windows down and crank up the radio on the beautiful spring afternoons. I was able to get over that one pretty quickly. I struggled more with trying to stay awake on the way to school!

I leave for school before most people even hit the snooze button for the first time. Heck, it’s practically still nighttime when my alarm rings at 4:15 in the morning. Keeping the radio off as I tootled on down the road in the rattletrap car was tough. My eyes got heavier and heavier the closer I got to school. After a week or two of this it was like my brain finally realized I wasn’t giving in and let me stay awake. Gotta love when those brains actually do what they’re supposed to do!

Every morning I would hop in the car and just start talking to God. It was a smidgen awkward at first because it was kinda like talking to myself. I kept trying though. Day after day, week after week I talked to God. I praised Him for all He was doing in my life and prayed to Him about my struggles and everywhere in between. Each morning I felt more prepared for the day than I had the day before.

In the afternoons I would debrief about my day and really try to listen. I focused on listening to what He wanted on my heart instead of what I thought I needed. Every other time I got into the car I kept the radio off. Even if I was just going to the grocery store I used that time to listen to the quiet.

It was a truly remarkable experience. I cannot believe the ways God worked in my life over those few weeks. He showed me what it was to really pray and wait for a response instead of jumping the gun like I usually do. It’s amazing what comes out when you let your heart speak what it actually wants to speak. I am thankful for this experience and have kept up the morning tradition! 

Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything; tell God your needs, and don’t forget to thank Him for His answer. If you do this you will experience God’s peace, which is far more wonderful than the human mind can understand. His peace will keep your thoughts and your hearts quiet and at rest as you trust in Christ Jesus.

 Phil 4: 6-7

Was your Lenten experience a positive one?