Very early one morning in December, I awoke from a deep sleep with the chorus of “Blessed Quietness” resonating in my mind. “Blessed quietness, holy quietness—what assurance in my soul! On the stomry sea He speaks peace to me—how the billows cease to roll!“ I quickly got out of bed, found my hymnal and sang until I became hoarse. After about an hour of singing, crying, and praying, I went back to bed. When I woke up later that morning, the melody and the words were still so deeply imbedded in my heart that I began to do a word study of quietness, assurance, and blessed in Scripture.

The disquieting battles that had been raging in my life were released to my Lord to fight! In those quiet moments of earnest prayer, study, reflection and just standing still in His presence, the Lord God began to lift the burdens of profound grief; illnesses that had plagued me for more than six weeks; doubts about my call to ministry that surfaced regularly because of my physical weakness; and the feeling of being overwhelmed with the intensity of the coursework for seminary. The hours of quiet time that morning brought me to the realization that the battles were not mine to begin with.

Nor were the burdens mine to carry alone. I found comfort in the words Moses spoke to the Israelites. “Fear not. Stand still [quiet] and see the salvation the Lord will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will not see again. The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.“ (Exodus 14:13) I found solice in the chorus of Blessed Quietness, and in my newfound quietness I found healing! You can, too. Stand still and allow God to speak peace into your situation; into your battlefield.

Finally, I invite you to share your “blessed quietness” moment or moments, for I firmly believe that there is healing in our stories.