Quietude

November 2021

“After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper.”

1 Kings 19:12

After Surjana came to faith in Jesus Christ through the witness of a Christian neighbor, she found a peace she had not known before. “For the first time in my life I was not worried, I was not afraid, I had peace,” she said. She was beaten by her father when she became a Christian, but she replaced hatred with forgiveness and prays for his salvation. When she was baptized, she said that as the pastor lowered her into the water, she felt like Jesus was speaking to her, confirming that she was His daughter. “I wanted to hear Jesus more!” she said, laughing at how she almost struggled with the pastor to keep her under water longer so she could hear more of that precious voice. [Credit: The Voice of the Martyrs, October 2021, p. 5] Surjana wanted to hear God’s gentle whisper—His still small voice. “After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper.” 1 Kings 19:12 [still small voice (KJV)] Literally, “A sound of soft stillness.” [Credit: Barnes notes on the Bible] God’s Holy Spirit “… moves with a powerful, but yet with a sweet and gentle gate.” [Credit: Benson Commentary] After Elijah’s success against the prophets of Baal, he went a day’s journey into the wilderness, prayed that he might die, but an angel touched him. “Did Elijah come hither to meet with God? He shall find that God will meet him. The wind, and earthquake, and fire, did not make him cover his face, but the still voice did. Gracious souls are more affected by the tender mercies of the Lord, than by His terrors. The mild voice of Him who speaks from the cross, or the mercy-seat, is accompanied with peculiar power in taking possession of the heart.” [Credit: Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary]

As I awoke one morning, I struggled with the turbulent sinful seas of my soul. But the lover of my soul, our great Triune God, delivered me. Looking back, as I approached the deadline for the Jesus Joy blog, I had been got more and more frustrated. During that past month, my computer’s performance slowed to the point where I almost could not trust or rely on it to meet the deadline. I had a bad attitude about thinking the network provider intentionally was trying to slow down the internet so we would upgrade our base subscription service. I was convinced of their evil plot to get more money from me, even though we signed up for a fixed price for life program. When I got to the breaking point, I thought, well I’ll unplug the computer and reboot the wireless device. Wow! To my surprise, the internet speed quickly returned. I hadn’t prayed. I just judged the internet provider, accusing them in my heart and mind of being greedy, evil, diabolical, and every other deplorable thought that popped into my head. I did not have a quiet attitude toward them or God. At that time my wife, Barbie, was trying to transfer some airline miles on the computer to a young Church plant Pastor, and needed to concentrate, saying, “I need quietude.” She never used that term before, but I immediately knew in my heart what she meant, even though she did not define it nor provide the backstory. Just then I knew I needed quietude, adopting that term to define a quiet attitude in Christ—not a judgmental attitude.

When the pain of broken promises, relationships, and unforgiveness sidelines our life, we can abide in Christ and trust His unfailing love to bring deep inner healing, forgiveness, restoration and transformation. He can make our love increase and overflow for each other. (1 Thessalonians 3:12) I needed that recently when my wife and I had an unpleasant argument, while discussing priorities. I told her she was my number one priority, but she felt like it was my investing in the stock market. And I felt like she was treating me like trash. Only Jesus Christ through His resurrection, the great reversal of history, not just another unexpected turn, saves us again and again through our failures, helplessness and sufferings. The darkness of Good Friday brings about the sunrise of Easter. [Paraphrased Credit: Timothy Keller, Hope in Times of Fear, p. 71, 72] We quietly denied Him—He died for us. May we quietly embrace the affection of Jesus, (Philippians 1:8) and the attitude of Christ. “May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you the same attitude of mind toward each other that Christ Jesus had, so that with one mind and one voice you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (Romans 15:5, 6)

I prepared for a walk on the trail by gathering extra gospel handouts, hoping God would show me those with whom He desired me to place His Word and speak of Jesus. While I greeted numerous people, there never seemed to be a natural opportunity to offer the gospel, other than a “God bless you,” and shared joy in the Autumn beauty. However, at the last bridge before heading home, I stopped long enough to enjoy the wonderful soft sound of the babbling stream, with a heart-song language all its own, gentle ripples like living water bringing life—a majestic insight into the heart of Christ, reminiscent of the revelation message, “When he opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour.” (Revelation 8:1) And visual, metaphoric images of a harp, and fragrant smoke of incense—prayers of God’s people singing a new song, (Revelation 5 and 8) all in quiet submission to God, seem intertwined with the attitude of Christ. This is not unlike Isaiah 50:4, “…wakens the weary, listening to the sovereign Lord…, [Paraphrased] and James 1:19, “…quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry,…” When God says, “Be still…” in Psalm 46:10, it can include the meaning of relax, withdraw, abate, refrain, to be quiet. This quietude often comes to me when I am alone with God, in quiet moments, in quiet places, like Jesus did when He withdrew alone to the wilderness or to the mountains to pray.

Karen R. is a sacrificial servant sister in Christ, quietly anchored, not anxious. To my wife, Barbie, and me, she has child-like faith, pointing to Jesus, the sign of Immanuel, the Hebrew transliterated word meaning, “With us is God,” the name of a child. (Isaiah 7:14) Karen cut her Sunday school lesson short to leave and meet us outside the Church to help Barbie out of the car, into Church, to the bathroom, and to the pew. After Church, she helped Barbie back out to the car. She often sits behind Barbie in the pew and gently massages her back and shoulders, which relaxes Barbie’s nerves and causes her ataxia to stop shaking from a brain stem stroke. Karen is a quiet servant of the Lord, with an attitude of brokenness toward Christ—she is contrite and lowly in spirit. (Isaiah 57:15) And I believe she has a pure heart. “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.” (Matthew 5:8) In this context, “see” as in “will see God,” uses the Greek transliterated word horaó, meaning to see, perceive, attend to, look upon, experience, discern. I believe Karen sees God, the motive behind her walk of faith and acts of kindness. This is not unlike the converse with Hagar in Genesis 16:13, “She gave this name to the Lord who spoke to her: “‘You are the God who sees me,’” for she said, “‘I have now seen the One who sees me.”

In a grocery store I saw a young Mother quietly, calmly and lovingly mentor her little daughter, speaking gently into her ears. As we crossed paths, with what appeared to be her three children, I quickly grabbed three gospel handouts and offered them to her as a gift for each child. But as she turned around, she shocked me when I saw her holding a fourth tiny infant in a baby bag pouch on her chest. All I could say was, “Oh, wow, I didn’t realize…!” I told her Jesus loves her greatly. “We love Jesus so much,” she responded with a beaming smile. Now it all made sense to me—helping her daughter understand Godly, righteous behavior, a radiant example of a fervent follower of Christ and His gentle peace, a wonderfully blessed quiet strength, attitude in Christ and steadfast love.

While in a large, crowded bulk store looking for dried fruit, I saw a man rapidly moving in my direction with an employee name tag, so I knew I had to act and ask fast. “Can you please tell me where the dried fruit section is?” I asked. “Three twelve,” [Isle 312] Raleigh (at least that was the name on his name-tag) responded in less than a second as he rushed by, without stopping. Then he was gone. Even though I tried to be prepared, I missed my opportunity to give him the gift of the gospel. But God, in quietude, didn’t miss His opportunity. Moments later I saw Raleigh again and thanked him for helping me with dried fruit, as I gave him the gift of spiritual fruit that lasts, God’s Holy Word. And I also realized as I pondered proclaiming Jesus in the dental and medical field, how often I never get a second chance to point people to Jesus. Over and over again with dental and medical surgeons, I am ushered in one way, then out another door after my appointment. So if I fail to pray, lacking spiritual situational awareness and don’t offer God’s Word initially to an employee, I may not see them again.

In a quiet attitude of prayer time on the radio, Denise Washington Bloomberg prayed “In these dark [absent of light] and Godless times…” We are warned in II Timothy 3, “…There will be terrible times in the last days, evil people will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good,treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God—having a form of godliness but denying its power,…always learning but never able to come to a knowledge of the truth…” These times and people are so sinful that some social media technology companies design software algorithms to create discord, which then drives divisive engagement. But our God is not a God of discord, not a God of disorder, but of peace, (1 Corinthians 14:33) the gospel of peace. We are called to take risks for the gospel—even when it results in persecution and suffering, (II Timothy 3) and broken fellowship. (Ephesians 5:11)

As I listened to Pastor Tony Evans on the car radio, he mentioned that Nehemiah went to God first and prayed for months, when confronted with the broken state of Jerusalem’s walls and people. He praised God, prayed and fasted, receiving God’s covenant promises, both unconditional and conditional. (Nehemiah 1) In like manner to Nehemiah, when we arise and build, Satan arises and opposes, [Paraphrased Credit: Redpath] so I was initially frightened when he attacked and I became the subject of a police manhunt after sharing the gospel with two young boys. [full story previously covered] But after a few dark days, I sensed the Lord’s still small voice, His gentle whisper calming my spirit, in quietude. However, to me, it is even more frightening when Satan does not attack an unbeliever. They need to be warned, because they don’t know he roams around looking for someone to devour, desiring to steal, kill and destroy, whether it is subtle or extreme. Even if their story begins with loss, it can end with love. [Credit: Unknown tornado survivor] And if they sense all is well, they may be lured into hell, spiritually blinded and lulled into complacency until they face judgement—then it’s too late. Jesus Christ is the ultimate judge, and there is no appeal, as in a worldly court. Satan has blinded the minds of unbelievers, and I believe I saw this on the trail when I offered the red heart/cross gospel handout to Beth. She examined the heart and cross, then began to hand it back to me stating, “I have my own faith.” “Would you like to tell me about it?” I asked. “No,” was her quick, terse response, but she was kind as we parted cordially by name. I wish Beth would have shared her heart, but I knew I also needed to get back home in case my wife needed my help.

I often have spiritual failures and fall short of the glory of God. A nice young man named Tyson approached our house, wanting to sell me siding and windows. After a few minutes, I asked him how I could pray for him. He had no idea. I told him I would ask God how I should pray, with which he seemed thankful. But I really wanted to get on the trail for a short walk so I could return home on a timely basis. Why didn’t I supplant my 15 minute walk with a brief witness of what Christ did in my life, which might have pointed Tyson to Jesus and one day lead to him experiencing eternal life and eternal peace, quietude in Christ, like the wonderful praise song, Peace Be Still.

Many years ago, a lady evangelist led our Church in preparing to go throughout all of our neighborhoods delivering the Jesus film, in video format, which had been anonymously donated. She helped train hundreds of us in preparation for the Saturday we would go out in teams distributing several thousand copies to homes. Many of us were initially fearful. In response, she quoted the scripture, “The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear Him, [deep respect and reverence in this context] and He delivers them.” (Psalm 34:7) “…in one of the darkest hours of David’s life,…his opened eyes beheld the mountain full of the chariots of fire, and the flashing of armour and light in the darkness of his cave.” [Paraphrased Credit: MacLaren’s Expositions] When fear strikes me when I least expect it, it’s encouraging for me to bring to mind the angel of the Lord encamped around me—the Old Testament Hebrew word transliterated chanah, (pronounced khaw-naw’) meaning to decline, bend down, encamp. It reminds me of great memories quietly setting up camp near a placid stream high in the mountains, enjoying fellowship with those around me—quiet community, an attitude of submission to God.

One small way I enjoy serving Christ, His body, and unbelievers is a simple, silent Jesus joy blessing to people when I write and send cards and notes. I hand draw the rough outline of a cross in any sufficiently available white space. Then inside the cross, on the horizontal part, it is fun to hand write something like “Jesus Loves you,” from the left side to the right side. On the vertical part of the cross, I may write the recipient’s name, something like “Frank” on the upper part, and “& Jacqueline” on the lower part, from top to bottom, leaving subtle separation as the horizontal words cross over between the vertical words, a different message on every card or note. It only takes a moment to do and yields wonderful blessings like one response I recently received, “We loved the drawing of the cross. 😊”

Another example I like of a simple silent Jesus joy blessing to people when writing emails, cards and notes is to sign off with words like, “Shabbat & Shalom in Yeshua.” One response I received were the words, “So, I loved reading your email with Shabbat & Shalom in Yeshua.” She also asked why I did that, so I told her my meaning (Hebrew) behind it, “A worshipful and restful seventh day blessing & Christ’s peace and completeness.” And it was fun to include a colorful dried leaf from the change of seasons. One person’s response back was with a card containing two different varieties of leaves!

A long-awaited September rain brought rising streams on the trail, so I set out for a brief walk to get some exercise after a stressful day at our nutritionist. I was enjoying the beauty of rapids over the rocks, then on to the bottom of the hill where I was observing the rapidly flowing stream, and where just recently I had thanked God for the colorful change of season beauty. A woman approached the bridge where I was standing, and she had stopped just short, as she attended to her dog. I thought maybe she was fearful it might lunge at me. Her name was Gigi and we struck up a conversation about her Golden Doodle, whose name was Calvin. A few days before I saw this same woman in about the same area on the trail. I didn’t know her name at that time, but I remember she told me that her dog was the cutest, and that if anybody else thought their dog was cuter, they were wrong! Gigi told me she was not looking forward to the cold of winter, and that she talked with her husband about where they might move to be warmer and near water. I was trusting God for an opportunity to speak about spiritual matters. Just as I offered Gigi a Gospel handout, a man walked by on the bridge with two small dogs, which led me to kind of fumble around showing Gigi the red heart/cross graphic and explain that to one lady it meant that love and the cross are one and the same. For some reason that seemed to resonate with Gigi, as she stared at it and pondered. It was as if she was in quietude, pausing to contemplate or meditate on the deeper meaning, and perhaps reading the first couple Bible verses printed on the front. She seemed very grateful and made a special point after she departed to look back and thank me again from a distance, which I was not expecting. Humorously, a Golden Doodle provided a connection point to Jesus! And I saw her again on the trail a third time, fortunately remembering her name and her dog, Calvin, as well! I pray for her salvation.

A funny thing happened on the trail recently. I crossed paths with a woman, exchanging greetings with her as she said something like, “Good morning, I mean good afternoon, or good evening!” seeming confused about the time of day. Then about a week later we saw each other again on the trail and we both joked about the previous funny exchange. It turns out that Jean has a husband and two young sons, and all three like video games. It is a challenge for her to place a limit on the boys, often ending in their tears. That led to conversation about the digital world, programming, among other topics. She was a blessing to speak with, and I offered her a gospel handout, which she closely examined, then carefully and methodically folded and put it in her pocket—a quiet moment watching God move, an attitude of gratefulness to Him. It was a joyful conversation and we acknowledged that we might see each other on the trail again. I hope I will be able to give her a copy of my book, Jesus Joy, one day. There have been many occasions when I regretted not having the book with me to gift someone unexpectedly. Later as I passed an elderly lady on the trail, I said, “You have a nice smile,” and we greeted each other later as we crossed paths again in the opposite direction. The next evening, I saw her again on the trail and we spoke briefly, learning that her name was Kathleen. As I offered her a gospel handout, she thanked me for commenting on her smile and stated, “At my age I don’t get many compliments!” I was blessed to have encouraged her, and hopefully pointed her to Jesus.

For some strange reason, it seems like God impressed upon my heart and mind recently the significance of people pondering the gospel handout’s red cross/heart graphic and Bible verses printed on it. I’ve seen it more often than I remember in times past. Perhaps this resonates with our Bible study teacher commenting that many are living in fear and death, a heightened sense of mortality, with their hope for a quick resolution of the pandemic dashed time and time again—perhaps most of our lives will never be quite the same again. And more importantly, in the context of John 20, the resurrection changed everything. Each unbeliever, in their quiet time of doubt, faces two issues: rational and existential. The resurrection of Jesus Christ is intellectually credible and existentially satisfying, that is, it means something in our existence. [Paraphrased Credit: Pastor Rudy Antle]

My Church plant friend, Pastor G., expressed his shock, frustration, confusion, but not disappointment that only 4 new friends out of a promised and expected 50+, attended their first new Church plant worship service in a local restaurant. It takes sowing, cultivating and reaping; but they didn’t reap much. This was after thousands of telephone calls, along with hundreds of emails, cards, and knocking on doors, as they invited people to join them in their new Church. After the terrible turnout, he asked a colleague, “So Jared, do you think we should quit?” “Of course not,” he replied. As they pray and think deeper about some of the things that may have gone wrong, they also recognize that this is an issue of the heart, and that by God’s grace, He will start a new Church in their town. Pastor Gary has a loving, soft and quiet attitude toward Christ and His Church.

As we commune and identify with Christ in quietude and reach out with our gospel witness to the lost, a story from Guatemala caught my attention. In a conversation with a young woman named Rachel, Asha stated that Rachel said her community is such an important part of her identity. “When I asked her about her personal relationship with the Lord, Rachel was surprised. She has always seen her relationship with God in terms of the community and never really considered that she could know God personally.” Asha asks that we please pray that Rachel will find both community and a personal relationship with God through Jesus.  [Credit: Jews for Jesus, October 2021, p. 4] May our testimony bless those who do not know Jesus, so their temporal community is transformed into true eternal identity with Christ.

I see quietude in Christ when my biological Brother, Pastor Bruce prays for a Holy discontent to come over an unbeliever, drawing them to Christ. Also, in a friend and brother in Christ, Galen, who was cursed out by a man who stood up in jail when Galen was preaching. “Why was he freaked out?” Galen asked. “Is there conviction that is sometimes followed by strong rejection?” After telling stories of persecution from the Bible, he would ask questions about what this means to them if they commit their lives to Christ. Sometimes he would wonder in his heart and mind why they would want to make the decision to embrace Christ, knowing it could cost them their life! But many of them were convicted of their sin and readily made that commitment, “…just like Paul—there’s our model!” Galen and I are fishers of men. (Mark 1:17) We both have stories of fishing God’s Word out of urinals and toilets in men’s restrooms, where we previously placed gospel handouts and New Testaments! And on a Rhine River cruise, Galen handed out hundreds of QR code cards to tour guides, wait staff, and tourists, [at a cost of about 12 cents each] allowing people to scan it with their smartphones, download and view the Jesus Film in 1800 languages. [Paraphrased Credit: Evangelist Galen M.]

I saw quietude in Christ when Megan studiously pondered and meditated on God’s Word after receiving a gospel handout as she sat by the stream. I saw it with Lyn, a long-time nurse with whom I gave a gospel handout a second time. “I kept it,” she responded. And in Pastor Chris P., who probably will never be a celebrity pastor, but he quietly serves with a Holy and humble attitude. And again, poignantly, I saw it in Becky’s prayer for her 4-week-old grandson, Ezekiel, in NICU at Children’s Hospital, “Please pray for healing. Please pray for a peace to wash over EZ’s parents (our daughter, Hannah, and our son-in-law, Nate). Please pray that Jesus will be in that NICU with Ezekiel, holding him, rocking him, singing to him, whispering truths to him. Please pray Jesus will do that very thing for Hannah and Nate, as well, and they will be reminded our God is good and faithful, no matter what. In your mercy, Lord, hear our prayer! Please boldly pray for the Lord’s healing touch overnight. Pray that He will be very near to EZ, Hannah, and Nate. May they get sweet rest. May He remind them of truth all night long. Pray that the MRI will reveal the cause. Pray for wisdom as they begin to treat our sweet baby boy! ”

Jesus Joy Blessings,
Dawid Melek