In the Stillness

Lord, You are there.

We have made it to Tanzania at last and are now safe and secure at our home for the next three weeks in Singida. Hallelujah! Getting here was one of my more interesting travel days to say the least.

We got picked up from our hostel while it was still dark out at 5:30 am and were moving on the road not long after 6, unaware of the journey we were about to experience. Somehow, without verifying,  we came under the impression that we were a mere 6 hours away from our destination, but about 5 hours in we were given a sobering reality… the bus ride would be a solid 24 hours, 4 times as long as we had mentally prepared for.

It would have been one thing if it was the usual sketchy, but moderately smooth African roads most of our travel had been over, but this was a road unlike any I had been on for such a length of time. For 23 of those 24 hours on the long dirt road to SIngida we were bounced, bumped, and jarred as we followed the winding roads through the mountains of Tanzania. My teeth are still chattering and I truly feel my tailbone will never be the same and countless times we hit bumps that threw all of us into the air.

Not only that, but for every seat that was filled, there was at least that many people crammed all down the aisle for the duration of our travel. No exaggeration, there were as many people in the aisle as there were in the seats. Discomfort is an understatement.

But, T.I.A. (this is Africa) as we say.

I could not have been more proud of my wonderful students I have the honor and privilege of leading though, and that in itself is such an amazing blessing. I had not expected it to be quite so uncomfortable and trying, but I also was not unaccustomed to it, having travelled the horrendous public transport of Mozambique on a weekly basis and from there all the way to South Africa on my World Race. My students however were wholly unprepared, and yet kept a peace and joy about them that delighted my soul to see.

Have I mentioned how thankful I am for my team?!   🙂

As I said, we were about 5 hours into our laughable conditions when one of the few English speaking Tanzanians standing in the aisle around us informed us that rather than reaching Singida in a mere hour, we would not get there until early the following morning. We swallowed it, anxious desperation choking the laughter we managed to share in, and then decided to pray.

I’m not gonna lie, I fully expected tantrum like attitudes and bitter complaint, but was filled with the sweetest pride and joy as my students smiled, joked, and resigned themselves to gratitude and joy, without so much as a push. Impressed and relieved, I sat down a little lower in the seat already making my bum numb and resumed my intake of the beautiful passing scenery, soaking in the sweetness of the Lord’s nearness.

How sweet it is to know the Lord and be known by Him! It is experiences like these through which I find myself newly thankful and aware of the blessing of having intimate relation with the Author and Creator of all.

Rather than complaint, I found in my heart gratitude; rather than discomfort, I was overwhelmed with joy, and I resonated with Paul when he declared, “I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all things through Him who gives me strength.” (Philippians 4:11-13)

The secret, the source of my contentment is none but Christ. Hallelujah!

The Lord commands us in Psalm 46:10 to, “be still, and know that I am God.”  How sweet it is when we are forced into stillness, and are invited to sit with Him there.

In the stillness, Lord, You are there!

By the time we got to SIngida at 6 the following morning, I was filthy, sore, hungry, and filled. To have found contentment and peace which trumped any discomfort or invitation to boredom was one of the sweetest gifts I was granted through that day of travel. And I didn’t even have to try! He was there with me in all His glory and all I had to do was sit in the still sanctuary of our intimacy and receive.

I am grateful to the Lord for so many reasons. I am thankful that He saved my life from the apathy, depression, and lack of fulfillment that had been its truth almost 4 years ago now. To truly live is enough to walk in gratitude all the days of my life, no matter the circumstance.

I am grateful that in His faithfulness, after giving my life wholly to Him, we would twice now send me out in the world for His glory, fulfilling one of my life’s greatest desires.

And after yesterday I realized how grateful I am for the stillness I have in the peace He has brought to my heart through His love and presence. There is so much more to salvation than accepting the eternal life He offers in surrendering your life to Him; there is life abundant! He is there intimately connected to our every moment if we would but recognize His presence and allow Him to be the delight of our hearts.  In His glory He promised to fill our every moment with His joy, which is our strength, and peace that passes understanding, no matter the circumstance, and I am grateful for simple discomfort which displays such truth to me.

Thank You, Lord, for Your great love for us. Thank you that the more I seek You, Lord, the more I find You. I praise You, my God, that the more I find You, the more I love You, and the more I am aware of Your great love for me. Open the eyes of our hearts Lord, that we may see Your glory ever before us. Open our hearts God, and soften them, that we may be moved by Your love, God, Your unrelenting love which pursues us every moment of every day. Be the delight of our hearts, oh Most High King, and draw us deeper into the intimacy with You that we were created for. You are worthy of all praise, all honor, and all glory. Be magnified in our hearts and lives, and open the floodgates of heaven over us today. I am so grateful to know You and be known by You, and I exalt You with all that I have and all that I am. Hallelujah and in Jesus’ glorious name, I pray. Amen.