When Stillness Speaks
"The LORD gives strength to his people; the LORD blesses his people with peace." -- Psalm 29:11. --
The notification light blinked insistently on her phone. Jane reached for it, then paused, remembering her morning intention. Instead, she wrapped both hands around her coffee mug, feeling the warmth against her palms. For these few moments in her downtown apartment, nothing needed her immediate attention except her own breath and the Spirit's presence. Through her window, dawn was waking the city with a gentle glow.
This psalm speaks to a dimension of shalom many of us have forgotten in our hyperconnected age - the deep contentment that comes from simply being present to God's promise. Like a child who has moved beyond restless squirming to find rest in their father's arms, we too can rediscover this fundamental peace. It's not something we achieve through effort, but something we receive through presence.
Our culture pulls us constantly outward - toward endless notifications, urgent deadlines, and voices demanding more, bigger, faster. We've normalized a state of perpetual acceleration that leaves us spiritually breathless. Yet personal shalom often begins with less - less scattered attention, less compulsive doing, less proving our worth. Not as escape from responsibility, but as a way of finding our center again.
From this grounded place, something shifts. We respond to life's demands with clarity rather than confusion. We move through our days with purpose rather than panic. This is how personal peace works - not by changing everything around us, but by helping us remember who we are and whose we are.
Today's Thought: What would it feel like to rest in God's presence today? Can you find one moment to simply be there, letting peace find you?
Photo by Chait Goli: https://www.pexels.com/photo/woman-drinking-coffee-1797108/
