He Is Real! ~ Part 1

I recently wrote a piece to submit to Inklings, the in-house publication at my church. In it I described some of the subjects we have been sharing in my ladies Bible study. It also includes some personal encounters with the Lord that have taken place in the last few weeks; some precious ways He has made Himself very real to me! Here is what I wrote:

A Growing  Intimacy Through Solitude, Silence And Journaling

In my ladies Bible Study, we have been encouraged to consider making
journaling a part of our spiritual discipline. I thought I had been
doing this for the past several years, but now realize that what I was
doing instead, was just keeping a diary. Keeping a spiritual journal has
helped me to connect with God in a new and fresh way.

We were inspired to seek solitude for these personal meetings with our Savior.
Solitude is already a constant in my life, and being hearing impaired offers many
quiet moments, as I often chose silence over music. It just agrees with my desire
for simplicity and tranquility and I am blessed to be surrounded by its’ addictive sense of
peace and lack of distraction on a regular basis.  

Another practice, we were encouraged to try, was taking a couple minutes of
silence before we begin to journal. Even though I live in a very quiet
environment, I still struggle to quiet my mind, in preparation for
journaling and communicating with God. I wonder why this is so difficult
to maintain. I have found that the only way I can push out the
unwelcome chatter in my mind is to simply repeat over and over: “BE
STILL. BE STILL”. This helps me to focus, and quiet my heart and mind
enough that I can hear God’s voice, if He has something to whisper into
my soul.

One morning, as I closed my eyes and endeavored to open myself to the Lord, I had a unique experience that I had never encountered before. I had
the vivid, visual sensation (with my eyes still closed) of rainfall
directly in front of my face,  and although I didn’t get wet, I sensed
the water droplets bouncing onto the front of my body...a tiny, gentle,
personal shower, splashing onto me. I was surprised by the momentary
“vision” and asked God what this was all about. I didn’t get my answer
right away, but rather, I just received it as a reminder of the shower
of blessings that cover me each and every day.

To be continued.