The Still Small Voice
Exploring Silence - Foiling fantasies Chapter Four, Part Four
Draw our souls to stillness,
that we may sense where
You are beckoning, Lord,
and help us to recognize things
we would otherwise miss.
In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Foiling Fantasies
‘Alas,’ said Aslan, shaking his head, ‘Things always work according to their nature. She has won her heart’s desire; she has unwearying strength and endless days . . . But length of days with an evil heart is only length of misery and already she begins to know it. All get what they want; they do not always like it.’ [4]
Stillness and silence are so conducive to receiving the Lord’s insights that it should come as no surprise to find that the devil objects to them – big time! They also require great firmness as well as sensitivity, to cut short unprofitable monologues in our head.
Beware fantasies that project us centre-stage – they nurture insatiable longings, and reveal our hidden idolatries in ways that no day-to-day ‘reality’ can ever hope to match.
Sooner or later, these hidden imbalances risk escaping beyond the confines of our subconscious, and defining the day-to-day make up our character.[5]
Amongst the greater danger associated with silence, the devil, who is both crafty and religious, uses extreme isolation as a breeding ground for unchecked delusions. Beware any vision that overfeeds the ego, or that will not allow anyone to question its validity!
Beware what you set your heart on, too, “for it will be yours”, as the saintly Amy Carmichael warned. Once people become caught up in unhealthy fixations, they end up attempting to justify the unjustifiable – and resorting to that most effective conversation-stopping excuse: ‘The Lord told me to do it!’ All the more reason to take another of Amy’s prayers to heart: ‘Holy Spirit, think through me till Your ideas are my ideas.’
For Reflection and Prayer
Lord Jesus,
when too many tensions come our way,
teach us when to turn from too much looking at them, and to rest in You.
Corral wayward thoughts and wild emotions.
Restore our hearts to silence, and expand our hearts to love!
Keep us close to where Your touch draws near,
and to those whom we can help,
In Jesus’ name, Amen.
References
References
4 C.S. Lewis, The Magician’s Nephew (Harper Collins) p.162
5 Paul’s teaching in 2 Corinthians 10:3-5 is highly relevant in terms of winning this battle in the mind.
Contents
COME AND LISTEN
RECOGNISE HIS VOICE
ENCOUNTER HIS PRESENCE
EXPLORE HIS SILENCE
THE ART OF REFLECTION
THE POWER OF DISCERNMENT
Handling discernment
Testing Words and discernment
Peace - the Umpire
From Ruach to The Rock: The Shetland Saga
The 'Brandle Factor'
When the Timing is out
By Many Strands
Fleeces and Decision Making
Doors Opening: Stay Inside!
Discordant Voices
Avoiding the Trammel Net
Checking our Track Record
Putting Things Right
When God fulfills His Promise by another Route