The Quiet Times

Our devotion with the boys this morning was a special blessing to me today. I thought I would share it with my blogger friends! God bless you today!

Read I Samuel 3:1-10

Grandpa and Trent grabbed their fishing gear and headed for a nearby river. After sitting on the bank a little while, Trent moved to another spot. Soon he got up and moved again. After moving several times, his excitement over fishing faded. "The fish aren't biting today," he said sadly. He looked at the fish his grandfather had caught. "Why are they biting for you and not me?" asked Trent.
"Well, you keep pulling in your line to check your bait, and that's the fourth fishing spot you've tried, Trent," answered Grandpa. "If you want to catch fish, you can't keep moving from one place to another all the time. Try sitting still."
Trent sighed. "I don't like to sit still," he murmured.
"I know, Trent, but unless you learn to do so, you'll miss out on a lot," said Grandpa. "Here-today-you'll just miss a few fish, but if you don't learn to sit quietly, you'll sometimes miss more important things."
"Like what?" asked Trent.
"Well, if you don't sit quietly and listen in school, you may fail," replied Grandpa. "And if you don't take time to sit still and listen to God, you may fail to hear Him."
Trent frowned. "You mean like Samuel heard Him in the Bible?" he asked. "God doesn't talk to us like that anymore, does He?"
"Maybe not," said Grandpa, "but if you set aside a special time to think about God, He may speak quietly to your heart."
"I pray every night," Trent told his grandfather.
"That's you talking again," Grandpa reminded him. "Let God talk to you. He may show you that He loves you, or He may make you aware of something He wants you to do."
"Can we be still and listen for God now?" asked Trent. Grandpa smiled and agreed. A few minutes later, Trent whispered, "I don't hear God, but I hear the water and the birds. It sounds like music!"
"God's music," agreed Grandpa. "It's the prettiest music in the world."
"I've got a bite!" Trent yelled suddenly. Soon he was taking a fish off his hook. "Look at that fish!" exclaimed Trent. "It paid to sit still that time, didn't it?"
"It sure did," agreed Grandpa, "and it will pay off every time-in even better ways. Keep trying it!"
HOW ABOUT YOU?Do you take time to quietly wait for God to speak to your heart? Before reading the Bible, ask God to teach you through it. Instead of rushing on to the next activity, it's good to pause and wait for Him to bring to your mind the lessons He wants you to learn. Wait quietly so you can hear Him speak to you. Don't expect to hear a voice like Samuel did, but let God bring to your attention the things He wants you to know and remember.
TODAY'S KEY VERSE:Be still, and know that I am God. Psalm 46:10