Do you ever find a time of quietness? A time when you have some peaceful moments alone with the Lord. With your body relaxed and comfortable, and looking only to Jesus, your heart will be turned to Him in adoration. From this experience, you are likely to have a greater desire to obey Him. People who devote time to be alone with the Lord find a renewed reservoir of personal strength and quiet confidence.
Such times of blessed quietness can be rare today. I admit that these times for me where very rare until the pandemic forced me to "shelter in" with little to do over the months of being isolated at home. Such moments of quietness are necessary for our Christian growth and we must make them a priority in our daily lives.
In 1911 Maine Payne Ferguson (1850-1932) wrote of this quietness in this week's featured hymn. She was a pioneer leader in the American Holiness Movement, a Christian evangelist and social worker who co-founded the Peniel Mission, and the author of several hymns, most notably "Blessed Quietness".
Ferguson, along with her husband, Theodore, founded the Los Angeles Mission in 1886. This was eventually renamed the Peniel Mission. Under Manie's direction, the Peniel Missions sought to provide a ministry for single women. The women usually lived in rented rooms near the rented hall where they conducted evangelistic services. They boldly testified on street corners and in bars and houses of prostitution. The Peniel Mission used some of the same methods as the Salvation Army, including street-corner meetings followed by parades back to the mission hall.
Now I don't know the circumstances that inspired her to write these words but I am guessing it came through personal experience. I understand that she was a very active person but she must have learned the value of those quiet times alone with the Lord. The challenge this week is for each of us to find those necessary quiet times. Then you can experience the joy and peace and rest that will result from that blessed quietness.
1. Joys are flowing like a river,
Since the Comforter has come;
He abides with us forever,
Makes the trusting heart His home.
Refrain:
Blessed quietness, holy quietness,
Blest assurance in my soul!
On the stormy sea, Jesus speaks to
And the billows cease to roll.
2. Everything is turned to gladness,
All around this glorious Guest;
Banished unbelief and sadness,
All is perfect peace and rest.
Refrain:
Blessed quietness, holy quietness,
Blest assurance in my soul!
On the stormy sea, Jesus speaks to me,
And the billows cease to roll.
3. Like the rain that falls from heaven,
Like the sunlight from the sky,
So the Holy Spirit given,
Falls upon us from on high.
Refrain:
Blessed quietness, holy quietness,
Blest assurance in my soul!
On the stormy sea, Jesus speaks to me,
And the billows cease to roll.
4. What a wonderful salvation,
Where we always see His face!
What a peaceful habitation!
What a quiet resting place!
Refrain:
Blessed quietness, holy quietness,
Blest assurance in my soul!
On the stormy sea, Jesus speaks to me,
And the billows cease to roll.
Listen to it here QUIETNESS
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