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Power of Stillness Finding Strength in God's Presence - Abide Meditation App · Abide Meditation App

• 0:15
  Speaker 1: Hello, and welcome to the Sleep story from Abide. I'm Chloe.
• 0:23
  Speaker 1: Thanks for joining me tonight, For in quietness and trust
• 0:28
  Speaker 1: is your strength. As the stresses of a busy daily
• 0:34
  Speaker 1: life can get to us and disrupt our connection with God,
• 0:40
  Speaker 1: we need to cultivate quietness more than ever, so tonight
• 0:47
  Speaker 1: we'll be meditating on the scripture in Isaiah thirty verse
• 0:51
  Speaker 1: fifteen and hearing about how quietness and trust are our strength.
• 1:00
  Speaker 1: Quietness in the presence of God is perhaps one of
• 1:05
  Speaker 1: the greatest ways to increase our trust in God, and
• 1:11
  Speaker 1: as his life gets into us more and more, we
• 1:16
  Speaker 1: find that He is our strength. If you feel lacking
• 1:23
  Speaker 1: in strength, may you seek the Lord and his face
• 1:27
  Speaker 1: tonight as you listen, and may you be infused with
• 1:32
  Speaker 1: His strength as our foundation. Scripture from Isaiah thirty is
• 1:40
  Speaker 1: fifteen reads, this is what the Sovereign Lord, the Holy
• 1:46
  Speaker 1: One of Israel says. In repentance and rest is your salvation.
• 1:55
  Speaker 1: In quietness and trust is your strength. So then let
• 2:02
  Speaker 1: us turn to him again and again for daily salvation
• 2:08
  Speaker 1: and daily strength. You will be experiencing this quietness and
• 2:14
  Speaker 1: trust in the comfort of your own bed while coming
• 2:19
  Speaker 1: on a nighttime journey through the lush forest of the
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  Speaker 1: South Island of New Zealand, we will be deepening our
• 2:29
  Speaker 1: trust in God as we wander through the bushy glade,
• 2:34
  Speaker 1: hearing the sound of the nocturnal kiwi bird and other
• 2:39
  Speaker 1: shy creatures that only come out at night. Let's observe
• 2:44
  Speaker 1: them and learn how we can practice quietness and trust.
• 2:54
  Speaker 1: But first, let's get cozy in bed. This is one
• 3:01
  Speaker 1: of the best moments of the day when we get
• 3:05
  Speaker 1: to completely relax and let go of every care and concern,
• 3:11
  Speaker 1: everything that might weigh on us during the day. The
• 3:16
  Speaker 1: night is for quietness and rest, and your bed is
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  Speaker 1: one of the most safe and secure places for you.
• 3:31
  Speaker 1: Precious listener, God is watching over you, so make yourself
• 3:39
  Speaker 1: totally comfortable here. Adjust your pillows, pull up your blankets,
• 3:48
  Speaker 1: dim or turn off the lights, and when you are ready,
• 3:53
  Speaker 1: come to stillness. You may have been vertical all day
• 3:59
  Speaker 1: long to be horizontal, and now you are. Notice how
• 4:07
  Speaker 1: relieving it is your head and legs and arms and back.
• 4:17
  Speaker 1: Breathe deeply as you let all tension go. Imagine that
• 4:25
  Speaker 1: tension is falling off you and sinking to the floor.
• 4:33
  Speaker 1: All you are left with is lightness. And peace. Keep
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  Speaker 1: breathing gently and deeply, feeling all stagnant air evaporating away
• 4:48
  Speaker 1: and leaving your body Only fresh air is filling your
• 4:54
  Speaker 1: lungs now as you breathe in fresh oxygen. Bring your
• 5:01
  Speaker 1: awareness to the Holy Spirit within you and around you.
• 5:09
  Speaker 1: Sense his presence. It may be subtle, or it may
• 5:15
  Speaker 1: be more tangible. He may be bringing peace to your
• 5:20
  Speaker 1: heart or calm to your emotions, or maybe he's bringing
• 5:27
  Speaker 1: you a sensation in your body of warmth or a
• 5:32
  Speaker 1: feeling like liquid love that's running down your back. His
• 5:39
  Speaker 1: presence is most precious, and his words are sweeter than
• 5:47
  Speaker 1: honey on your lips. You are able to experience his
• 5:54
  Speaker 1: presence during your daily life, just as keenly as you
• 5:59
  Speaker 1: can experience him in the quietness. It takes awareness and invitation,
• 6:07
  Speaker 1: just like you're practicing now. Keep breathing and inviting him in.
• 6:17
  Speaker 1: He will cause this bedtime story to not only encourage you,
• 6:23
  Speaker 1: but to transform and heal you and open you up
• 6:28
  Speaker 1: to His love more deeply. Continue letting all your cares
• 6:35
  Speaker 1: and worries go to him. Let's pray, Dear loving Lord,
• 6:44
  Speaker 1: we invite you to guide this bedtime story tonight and
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  Speaker 1: lead us through the night to a deeper trust in
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  Speaker 1: You than we have ever experienced before. God. In this
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  Speaker 1: confusing life, we have questions about why certain things happen,
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  Speaker 1: but we love You and we trust You. Increase our
• 7:14
  Speaker 1: childlike trust in You, and through this story tonight, deposit
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  Speaker 1: a renewed gift of faith into our hearts. We are
• 7:26
  Speaker 1: seeking you, and you promise to be found by us.
• 7:33
  Speaker 1: Bless this precious one's sleep tonight, and may they find
• 7:40
  Speaker 1: rest and strength. Just as Isaiah prophesied, we bless your name. Lord.
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  Speaker 1: There is no one like you, not in the heavens
• 7:52
  Speaker 1: or in the earth. No one except you can give
• 7:58
  Speaker 1: us strength and peace in your Son's mighty name. Amen.
• 8:08
  Speaker 1: The night seasons in my life have been seasons of wrestling.
• 8:13
  Speaker 1: I have wrestled with the Lord like Jacob wrestled all
• 8:16
  Speaker 1: through the night at Pennil. In my night seasons, I
• 8:21
  Speaker 1: have grappled with God and have come with much of
• 8:25
  Speaker 1: my confusion and questions, Why God has this happened in
• 8:30
  Speaker 1: this way? Or why has that happened to my loved
• 8:35
  Speaker 1: one in that way? Let me encourage you, dear listener,
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  Speaker 1: I have realized more deeply through each night season that
• 8:47
  Speaker 1: our Papa God is big enough to take anything we
• 8:51
  Speaker 1: bring to him. He showed me that he really wanted
• 8:57
  Speaker 1: me to present to him all my questions, especially from
• 9:03
  Speaker 1: my hard and painful experiences. If you've ever met a
• 9:09
  Speaker 1: small child, a word often on their lips is why.
• 9:15
  Speaker 1: It's childlike to ask him why. But it's trusting to
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  Speaker 1: be okay with mystery when he says that he may
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  Speaker 1: not tell us the full reasons why until the eternal
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  Speaker 1: life to come. What I learned and am still learning,
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  Speaker 1: is that it's far better to tussle with my Papa
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  Speaker 1: God than to back away in confusion and give him
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  Speaker 1: the silent treatment. I work intentionally on keeping my heart
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  Speaker 1: as soft as I can toward him and learning to
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  Speaker 1: be content with mystery. Sometimes I repeat to myself many times,
• 10:02
  Speaker 1: he is God and I am not, and I can't
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  Speaker 1: God can. I think I'll let him. In my journey
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  Speaker 1: to quietness and trust, I have learned there is a
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  Speaker 1: time to talk and a time to be silent. When
• 10:26
  Speaker 1: I share everything I have on my heart with Jesus,
• 10:31
  Speaker 1: I can be still and quiet, and that's very different
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  Speaker 1: from a stony hearted silent treatment. It's a contented stillness.
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  Speaker 1: It's when I know I've said my peace, so now
• 10:49
  Speaker 1: I can be at peace. And in the quietness. I
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  Speaker 1: sometimes feel his presence tangibly, and sometimes I don't, but
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  Speaker 1: I know he's there, And when I leave, I know
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  Speaker 1: he has heard the deepest groanings of my heart that
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  Speaker 1: I haven't even known how to utter. He hears even
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  Speaker 1: our unspoken prayers. How awesome he is. He truly inspires
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  Speaker 1: our awe and wonder. Sometimes I've sat in stillness with
• 11:35
  Speaker 1: him and a few tears spring to my eyes, and
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  Speaker 1: I'm not sure why. Then later I realize that was
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  Speaker 1: the Holy Spirit coming and softening my heart and touching
• 11:50
  Speaker 1: my pain and just letting it out, not too much
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  Speaker 1: and not all at once, just as much as I
• 12:01
  Speaker 1: can handle. And those moments, even when they have been brief,
• 12:07
  Speaker 1: have opened the eyes of my heart more to his
• 12:11
  Speaker 1: gentleness and have kept my questions from hardening my heart.
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  Speaker 1: Allow me to read our scripture from Isaiah thirty verse fifteen,
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  Speaker 1: and perhaps you will experience your heart softening even as
• 12:30
  Speaker 1: you hear the words of the Lord himself. This is
• 12:36
  Speaker 1: what the Sovereign Lord, the Holy One of Israel, says
• 12:43
  Speaker 1: in repentance and rest is your salvation in quietness and
• 12:50
  Speaker 1: trust is your strength. God obviously had this message on
• 12:56
  Speaker 1: his heart so much that he spoke through Isaiah again
• 13:01
  Speaker 1: two chapters later in verse seventeen, when he said, and
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  Speaker 1: the effect of righteousness will be peace, and the result
• 13:12
  Speaker 1: of righteousness quietness and trust Forever. This beautiful connection between
• 13:21
  Speaker 1: quietness and trust is being reaffirmed for us, and it's
• 13:26
  Speaker 1: as needed for the ancient Israelites as it is needed
• 13:30
  Speaker 1: for my own personal life as well as yours. Every
• 13:36
  Speaker 1: day the devil comes out with his old arsenal of
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  Speaker 1: distractions and his well thumbed script of lies. For me,
• 13:46
  Speaker 1: it always includes the idea that I'm too busy for God,
• 13:50
  Speaker 1: or when I finally do sit with God, I get
• 13:54
  Speaker 1: bombarded with thoughts of all the things I need to do,
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  Speaker 1: or worse still, the lie that I'm not good enough
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  Speaker 1: or righteous enough to sit in God's presence. Any of
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  Speaker 1: us who have experienced stillness and quiet might find it
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  Speaker 1: very confusing at first, because our minds start going crazy.
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  Speaker 1: This has happened to me when I went through periods
• 14:24
  Speaker 1: of insomnia. My body would be exhausted as I lay
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  Speaker 1: there in bed, but my mind would be racing like
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  Speaker 1: an autumn leaf being buffeted and tossed along a rushing stream.
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  Speaker 1: And slowly, as I kept inviting the Holy Spirit into
• 14:44
  Speaker 1: those times, his voice drowned out my own scattered thoughts
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  Speaker 1: and the lies of the devil. One of his greatest
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  Speaker 1: gifts to me and you is rest, he says quite
• 15:03
  Speaker 1: plainly in Psalm one hundred and twenty seven, verse two.
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  Speaker 1: In vain you rise early and stay up late, toiling
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  Speaker 1: for food to eat, For he grants sleep to those
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  Speaker 1: he loves. Our sleep is a precious gift from him
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  Speaker 1: to us. Even now. Let me pray over you as
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  Speaker 1: you receive his gift and enter into deeper peace. Oh
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  Speaker 1: wonderful Lord and Savior, we are so thankful for your
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  Speaker 1: gift of rest. How delicious quietness can be when you
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  Speaker 1: calm our busy minds and bring a peace that we
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  Speaker 1: can't strive. For, Lord, pray over this beloved child of
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  Speaker 1: yours that you would bring deep sleep to them. Calm
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  Speaker 1: their minds, protect their thoughts from all lies. Grant them
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  Speaker 1: the knowledge that they can come boldly to you, so
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  Speaker 1: that you can speak with them face to face like
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  Speaker 1: a friend. They are your friend. They are not worthy
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  Speaker 1: in and of themselves to come to you, but Jesus
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  Speaker 1: has made them worthy. I pray the blood of Jesus
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  Speaker 1: all over them tonight. May his blood cover their minds,
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  Speaker 1: just like the blood cover the doorposts of the Israelites
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  Speaker 1: when the Angel of Death passed over them in Egypt.
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  Speaker 1: Let every negative thought and lie pass over them, while
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  Speaker 1: the powerful blood of Jesus Christ covers them from head
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  Speaker 1: to toe inside out. Lord, they are turning to you
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  Speaker 1: now as their best defense and their only source of
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  Speaker 1: true rest and strength. Quiet their mind and open their
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  Speaker 1: heart to what you have to say to them tonight.
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  Speaker 1: That might simply be the gentle whisper of fear. Not,
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  Speaker 1: for I have redeemed you. I have called you by name.
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  Speaker 1: You are mine. Ah, What extraordinary words whisper them again
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  Speaker 1: and again to this beloved child of Yours Father. Let
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  Speaker 1: it sink into their hearts so deeply that it becomes
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  Speaker 1: their internal script. We love you, and we trust, Dear Lord.
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  Speaker 1: We don't have enough years in this life to adequately
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  Speaker 1: thank you and praise you, But you see our hearts
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  Speaker 1: and your son's name, the beautiful name of Jesus. We
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  Speaker 1: pray this prayer. Amen. When I think of quietness and trust.
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  Speaker 1: I often think of the Kiwi bird, which is native
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  Speaker 1: to my homeland of New Zealand. It's found nowhere else
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  Speaker 1: in the world, and that's a good thing. Every other
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  Speaker 1: country has predators that would long have made it extinct.
• 19:03
  Speaker 1: New Zealand doesn't have many native predators for the kiwi,
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  Speaker 1: let alone even many mammals at all, so it has
• 19:11
  Speaker 1: been a safe homeland for the bird. That is the
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  Speaker 1: goodness of God. In the colonial period, however, about two
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  Speaker 1: centuries ago, stoats, weasels and rats were introduced on the
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  Speaker 1: ships from Europe. They now pose a major threat to
• 19:33
  Speaker 1: the kiwi as dangerous predators, but otherwise the kiwi bird
• 19:39
  Speaker 1: lives mostly at peace in the protected areas of native
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  Speaker 1: forest and national parks. The Kiwi is a shy nocturnal
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  Speaker 1: bird and the population in New Zealand is very small. Therefore,
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  Speaker 1: they are currently a threatened species. They are small and flightless,
• 20:05
  Speaker 1: which makes them vulnerable as they forage for food and
• 20:08
  Speaker 1: raise their young on the forest floor. God has given
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  Speaker 1: them a greater chance for survival by designing them to
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  Speaker 1: mainly come out at night. He knew that would give
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  Speaker 1: them somewhat of a defense against predators. Tonight, I will
• 20:28
  Speaker 1: guide you on a nighttime stroll through one of the
• 20:31
  Speaker 1: National Park areas on Stuart Island, a small conservation area
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  Speaker 1: located just south of New Zealand's South Island, seemingly not
• 20:42
  Speaker 1: much more than a stone's throw from Antarctica. The sky
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  Speaker 1: is clear on this particular night. The moon is full
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  Speaker 1: and it lights the sky with the notes of pale blue.
• 21:00
  Speaker 1: The lush New Zealand forest is dense like the Amazon rainforest,
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  Speaker 1: and the floor is covered in soft pine needles and
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  Speaker 1: a carpet of drying red and brown leaves. The lamp
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  Speaker 1: of the moon's light is streaming down through the leaves
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  Speaker 1: in luminous shards along the ground, so I can make
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  Speaker 1: my way without the need of a head lamp. The
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  Speaker 1: natural light is blissful to my eyes as they ads
• 21:37
  Speaker 1: to the dark. The sound of night in the forest
• 21:44
  Speaker 1: is mostly silence. There are a few insects that are
• 21:49
  Speaker 1: singing their songs, but only faintly here and there. It
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  Speaker 1: is so peaceful. The rustles I hear now and then
• 22:02
  Speaker 1: are simply dead twigs and leaves falling to the ground.
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  Speaker 1: This place is so safe, It's truly a sanctuary of nature.
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  Speaker 1: My hope is to catch sight of a kiwi tonight.
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  Speaker 1: But they are very timid creatures and almost noiseless. They
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  Speaker 1: have kept themselves from harm by not making a sound.
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  Speaker 1: Even on the crunchy forest floor. I gaze up through
• 22:38
  Speaker 1: the canopy and see the stars glorious. Perhaps I'll just
• 22:47
  Speaker 1: sit down here on this soft clearing and watch the stars.
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  Speaker 1: Who knows. Maybe a kiwi will feel safe and come
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  Speaker 1: out eventually. They are hiding out of God given instinctual
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  Speaker 1: wisdom rather than fear. But maybe they will feel safe
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  Speaker 1: if they smell I'm here, but have no malicious intent.
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  Speaker 1: Their sense of smell is very sensitive and highly developed,
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  Speaker 1: which is unique for a bird, so they certainly know
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  Speaker 1: I'm here. Sitting on the soft ground feels very good.
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  Speaker 1: I've been walking for a while to get this deep
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  Speaker 1: into the forest, and I desire rest. I could easily
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  Speaker 1: fall asleep here if I'm not careful. It's so comfortable,
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  Speaker 1: and the sparkly stars are truly magnificent somehow not only
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  Speaker 1: delicate and dainty sequins on a silky black backdrop, but
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  Speaker 1: also I know they are humongous celestial bodies of blazing
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  Speaker 1: fire and gas emitsing volcanic explosions which cause those twinkles.
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  Speaker 1: God's craftsmanship, both up in the heavens and down here
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  Speaker 1: on earth, cannot be praised too much. It continues to
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  Speaker 1: give me awe and wonder. This quiet rest here fills
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  Speaker 1: me with trust and faith in him, A small person
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  Speaker 1: in the hands of a great God, an infinitely loving God.
• 24:52
  Speaker 1: Under the starry night, I am even now turning to
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  Speaker 1: him again and rest in him. I recall Isaiah thirty
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  Speaker 1: verse fifteen. This is what the Sovereign Lord, the Holy
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  Speaker 1: One of Israel, says. Only in returning to me and
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  Speaker 1: resting in me will you be saved and quietness and
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  Speaker 1: confidence as your strength. I am resting in him. He
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  Speaker 1: is my only true deep rest. I can rest in
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  Speaker 1: him even in the face of fear. He hasn't given
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  Speaker 1: me a spirit of fear. He has given me a
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  Speaker 1: spirit full of trust. Trust in him, and the effect
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  Speaker 1: of righteousness will be peace, and the result of righteousness
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  Speaker 1: quietness and trust. Forever. I am coming to him to
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  Speaker 1: rest and receive his righteousness, which produces quietness and trust.
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  Speaker 1: It certainly reminds me of the Kiwi living a life
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  Speaker 1: under the stars in quietness and stillness, courageously coming out
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  Speaker 1: of hiding every night to find nourishment, and in finding
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  Speaker 1: nourishment finding strength again. For me, this points to Jesus.
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  Speaker 1: He is the bread of life, and his word is
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  Speaker 1: our true nourishment. And both his presence and his word
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  Speaker 1: give us life and the ability to trust in him.
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  Speaker 1: His quietness is such a gift. Here on this island,
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  Speaker 1: away from the hustle and bustle, and away from civilization,
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  Speaker 1: all is calm. The questions and the wrestling I have
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  Speaker 1: during the day are stilled and quieted. This reminds me
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  Speaker 1: of the words of childlike trust that King David penned
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  Speaker 1: in p. One hundred and thirty one, Oh Eternal One.
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  Speaker 1: My heart is not occupied with proud thoughts. My eyes
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  Speaker 1: do not look down on others. I don't even begin
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  Speaker 1: to get involved in matters too big, matters of faith, state, business,
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  Speaker 1: or the many things that defy my ability to understand them.
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  Speaker 1: Of one thing, I am certain. My soul has become calm,
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  Speaker 1: quiet and contented in you, like a weaned child resting
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  Speaker 1: upon his mother. I am quiet. My soul is like
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  Speaker 1: a weaned child, Oh Israel, stake your trust completely in
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  Speaker 1: the eternal From this very moment and into the vast future.
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  Speaker 1: What tonic those words are, What a soothing bomb to
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  Speaker 1: my soul. There is a balm in Gilead, and his
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  Speaker 1: name is Jesus. May we all be able to inhabit
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  Speaker 1: that truth and practice it even during the busy day
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  Speaker 1: and during the confusing night seasons, when we are apt
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  Speaker 1: to wrestle with God and come with our questions. As
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  Speaker 1: I rest here, my questions and confusions fade. They fade
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  Speaker 1: away into the forest dim. What I can't see I
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  Speaker 1: can't see, and that's okay. As a small child in
• 29:40
  Speaker 1: the Lord's arms, I can come to peace with mystery.
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  Speaker 1: His ways are far above my ways. I can simply
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  Speaker 1: sit here and breathe in the cool night air. It's
• 30:00
  Speaker 1: the purest air I've breathed in many a long day.
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  Speaker 1: But there, I think I can hear a gentle peeping
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  Speaker 1: noise and a soft footed rustling. I shan't turn on
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  Speaker 1: my flashlight because it would frighten the tender little kiwi
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  Speaker 1: while it's seeking dinner. My eyes have adjusted more to
• 30:27
  Speaker 1: my surroundings, and the moonlight is illuminating the forest beautifully
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  Speaker 1: low and behold, I can see the cute brown kiwi.
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  Speaker 1: It's carefully and gingerly stepping on the leafy carpet, using
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  Speaker 1: its very long and delicate beak to forage for worms
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  Speaker 1: and grubs. It doesn't seem bothered by me. It's coming closer,
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  Speaker 1: so perhaps it senses that I mean no harm. I
• 31:05
  Speaker 1: have simply come to visit it in its home and
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  Speaker 1: learn more about my relationship with God by observing it.
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  Speaker 1: It's innocently trusting and getting on with its God made purpose.
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  Speaker 1: That is very good for me to learn too. In fact,
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  Speaker 1: even Paul gives this advice in First Thessalonians four eleven.
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  Speaker 1: And make it your goal to lead a peaceful life.
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  Speaker 1: Mind your own business, and keep your hands busy in
• 31:42
  Speaker 1: your work, as we have instructed you. This kiwi is
• 31:48
  Speaker 1: minding its own business, doing what God is calling it
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  Speaker 1: to do, and thus it's cultivating a life of peace
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  Speaker 1: and quiet. We could all avoid much pain and turmoil
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  Speaker 1: if we did what God put in front of us
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  Speaker 1: and obeyed him in trust and simplicity. Sitting here on
• 32:15
  Speaker 1: the forest floor watching this innocent, little flightless bird, I
• 32:21
  Speaker 1: feel like I am doing what I was made to do.
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  Speaker 1: Resting in the gentle and sweet presence of the Holy Spirit,
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  Speaker 1: enjoying the majesty of the Almighty Creator God. Surely that
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  Speaker 1: is what we are called into. Quietness and simplicity and
• 32:48
  Speaker 1: trust and a life of rest and peace in believing
• 32:54
  Speaker 1: in Him. I invite you, precious listener, to remain in
• 33:03
  Speaker 1: the peaceful forest and enjoy the sights and sounds. Continue
• 33:11
  Speaker 1: watching this demure little Kiwi foraging for worms, and let
• 33:17
  Speaker 1: sleep bring rest to your soul. Let me pray over
• 33:25
  Speaker 1: you one final time in the words of Romans fifteen thirteen.
• 33:32
  Speaker 1: I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill
• 33:38
  Speaker 1: you completely with joy and peace. Because you trust in Him,
• 33:45
  Speaker 1: then you will overflow with confident hope through the power
• 33:50
  Speaker 1: of the Holy Spirit. And Precious One. May you return
• 33:56
  Speaker 1: to the Lord day after day and rest in him.
• 34:02
  Speaker 1: May you bring him your questions and wrestle during the
• 34:06
  Speaker 1: night seasons, but find his blessing greets you at break
• 34:11
  Speaker 1: of dawn. May trust in Him give you strength every
• 34:17
  Speaker 1: hour as you walk with Him through this life. And
• 34:22
  Speaker 1: the precious name of Jesus, Amen, as you sleep, receive
• 34:31
  Speaker 1: the truth that repentance and rest are your salvation, and
• 34:39
  Speaker 1: quietness and trust are your strength. Let's listen again, to
• 34:46
  Speaker 1: this sleep story about quietness and trust. The night seasons
• 34:54
  Speaker 1: in my life have been seasons of wrestling. I have
• 34:58
  Speaker 1: wrestled with the Lord like Jacob wrestled all through the
• 35:02
  Speaker 1: night at Pennial. In my night seasons, I have grappled
• 35:07
  Speaker 1: with God and have come with much of my confusion
• 35:11
  Speaker 1: and questions, Why God has this happened in this way?
• 35:17
  Speaker 1: Or why has that happened to my loved one in
• 35:20
  Speaker 1: that way? Let me encourage you, dear listener. I have
• 35:27
  Speaker 1: realized more deeply through each night season that our Papa
• 35:33
  Speaker 1: God is big enough to take anything we bring to him.
• 35:40
  Speaker 1: He showed me that he really wanted me to present
• 35:44
  Speaker 1: to him all my questions, especially from my hard and
• 35:49
  Speaker 1: painful experiences. If you've ever met a small child, a
• 35:56
  Speaker 1: word often on their lips is why. It's childlike to
• 36:01
  Speaker 1: ask him why. But it's trusting to be okay with
• 36:06
  Speaker 1: mystery when he says that he may not tell us
• 36:09
  Speaker 1: the full reasons why until the eternal life to come.
• 36:16
  Speaker 1: What I learned and am still learning, is that it's
• 36:20
  Speaker 1: far better to tussle with my Papa God than to
• 36:25
  Speaker 1: back away in confusion and give him the silent treatment.
• 36:30
  Speaker 1: I work intentionally on keeping my heart as soft as
• 36:34
  Speaker 1: I can toward him and learning to be content with mystery.
• 36:43
  Speaker 1: Sometimes I repeat to myself many times, he is God
• 36:49
  Speaker 1: and I am not, and I can't God can. I
• 36:57
  Speaker 1: think I'll let him. In my journey to quietness and trust,
• 37:04
  Speaker 1: I have learned there is a time to talk and
• 37:07
  Speaker 1: a time to be silent. When I share everything I
• 37:13
  Speaker 1: have on my heart with Jesus, I can be still
• 37:17
  Speaker 1: and quiet, And that's very different from a stony hearted
• 37:23
  Speaker 1: silent treatment. It's a contented stillness. It's when I know
• 37:32
  Speaker 1: I have said my peace, so now I can be
• 37:35
  Speaker 1: at peace and in the quietness. I sometimes feel his
• 37:43
  Speaker 1: presence tangibly, and sometimes I don't, but I know he's there,
• 37:50
  Speaker 1: And when I leave, I know he has heard the
• 37:54
  Speaker 1: deepest groanings of my heart that I haven't even known
• 37:58
  Speaker 1: how to utter. He hears even our unspoken prayers. How
• 38:07
  Speaker 1: awesome he is. He truly inspires our awe and wonder.
• 38:17
  Speaker 1: Sometimes I've sat in stillness with Him and a few
• 38:21
  Speaker 1: tears spring to my eyes and I'm not sure why.
• 38:26
  Speaker 1: Then later I realize that was the Holy Spirit coming
• 38:32
  Speaker 1: and softening my heart and touching my pain and just
• 38:38
  Speaker 1: letting it out, not too much and not all at once,
• 38:45
  Speaker 1: just as much as I can handle. And those moments,
• 38:50
  Speaker 1: even when they have been brief, have opened the eyes
• 38:54
  Speaker 1: of my heart more to His gentleness and have kept
• 38:58
  Speaker 1: my questions from hardening my heart. Allow me to read
• 39:06
  Speaker 1: our scripture from Isaiah thirty, verse fifteen, and perhaps you
• 39:12
  Speaker 1: will experience your heart's softening even as you hear the
• 39:16
  Speaker 1: words of the Lord himself. This is what the Sovereign Lord,
• 39:23
  Speaker 1: the Holy One of Israel, says. In repentance and rest
• 39:30
  Speaker 1: is your salvation. In quietness and trust is your strength.
• 39:39
  Speaker 1: God obviously had this message on his heart so much
• 39:44
  Speaker 1: that he spoke through Isaiah again two chapters later in
• 39:48
  Speaker 1: verse seventeen, when he said, and the effect of righteousness
• 39:54
  Speaker 1: will be peace, and the result of righteousness and trust forever.
• 40:04
  Speaker 1: This beautiful connection between quietness and trust is being reaffirmed
• 40:10
  Speaker 1: for us, and it's as needed for the ancient Israelites
• 40:14
  Speaker 1: as it is needed for my own personal life as
• 40:17
  Speaker 1: well as yours. Every day the devil comes out with
• 40:23
  Speaker 1: his old arsenal of distractions and is well thumbed script
• 40:28
  Speaker 1: of lies. For me, it always includes the idea that
• 40:33
  Speaker 1: I'm too busy for God, or when I finally do
• 40:37
  Speaker 1: sit with God, I get bombarded with thoughts of all
• 40:41
  Speaker 1: the things I need to do, or worse still, the
• 40:46
  Speaker 1: lie that I'm not good enough or righteous enough to
• 40:50
  Speaker 1: sit in God's presence. Any of us who've experienced stillness
• 40:58
  Speaker 1: and quiet might find it very confusing at first, because
• 41:03
  Speaker 1: our minds start going crazy. This has happened to me
• 41:08
  Speaker 1: when I went through periods of insomnia. My body would
• 41:12
  Speaker 1: be exhausted as I lay there in bed, but my
• 41:15
  Speaker 1: mind would be racing, like an autumn leaf being buffeted
• 41:20
  Speaker 1: and tossed along a rushing stream. And slowly, as I
• 41:27
  Speaker 1: kept inviting the Holy Spirit into those times, his voice
• 41:32
  Speaker 1: drowned out my own scattered thoughts and the lies of
• 41:36
  Speaker 1: the devil. One of his greatest gifts to me and
• 41:43
  Speaker 1: you is rest, he says quite plainly in Psalm one
• 41:49
  Speaker 1: hundred and twenty seven, verse two. In vain, you rise
• 41:54
  Speaker 1: early and stay up late, toiling for food to eat,
• 42:01
  Speaker 1: for he grants sleep to those he loves. Our sleep
• 42:07
  Speaker 1: is a precious gift from him to us. Even now,
• 42:13
  Speaker 1: Let me pray over you as you receive his gift
• 42:17
  Speaker 1: and enter into deeper peace, Oh wonderful Lord and Savior,
• 42:26
  Speaker 1: we are so thankful for your gift of rest. How
• 42:31
  Speaker 1: delicious quietness can be when you calm our busy minds
• 42:38
  Speaker 1: and bring a peace that we can't strive for. Lord,
• 42:44
  Speaker 1: I pray over this beloved child of yours that you
• 42:48
  Speaker 1: would bring deep sleep to them. Calm their minds, protect
• 42:56
  Speaker 1: their thoughts from all lies. Grant them the knowledge that
• 43:02
  Speaker 1: they can come boldly to you, so that you can
• 43:07
  Speaker 1: speak with them face to face like a friend. They
• 43:13
  Speaker 1: are your friend. They are not worthy in and of
• 43:18
  Speaker 1: themselves to come to you, but Jesus has made them worthy.
• 43:26
  Speaker 1: I pray the blood of Jesus all over them tonight.
• 43:31
  Speaker 1: May his blood cover their minds, just like the blood
• 43:36
  Speaker 1: cover the doorposts of the Israelites when the Angel of
• 43:40
  Speaker 1: Death passed over them in Egypt. Let every negative thought
• 43:46
  Speaker 1: and lie pass over them, while the powerful blood of
• 43:52
  Speaker 1: Jesus Christ covers them from head to toe inside out. Lord,
• 44:01
  Speaker 1: they are turning to you now as their best defense
• 44:07
  Speaker 1: and their only source of true rest and strength. Quiet
• 44:13
  Speaker 1: their mind and open their heart to what you have
• 44:18
  Speaker 1: to say to them tonight. That might simply be the
• 44:23
  Speaker 1: gentle whisper of fear not for I have redeemed you,
• 44:31
  Speaker 1: I have called you by name. You are mine. Ah,
• 44:39
  Speaker 1: What extraordinary words whisper them again and again to this
• 44:46
  Speaker 1: beloved child of yours Father. Let it sink into their
• 44:51
  Speaker 1: hearts so deeply that it becomes their internal script. We
• 44:59
  Speaker 1: love you and we trust, Dear Lord. We don't have
• 45:05
  Speaker 1: enough years in this life to adequately thank you and
• 45:09
  Speaker 1: praise you, But you see our hearts and your son's name,
• 45:18
  Speaker 1: the beautiful name of Jesus. We pray this prayer. Amen.
• 45:26
  Speaker 1: When I think of quietness and trust, I often think
• 45:30
  Speaker 1: of the Kiwi bird, which is native to my homeland
• 45:33
  Speaker 1: of New Zealand. It's found nowhere else in the world,
• 45:40
  Speaker 1: and that's a good thing. Every other country has predators
• 45:44
  Speaker 1: that would long have made it extinct. New Zealand doesn't
• 45:49
  Speaker 1: have many native predators for the kiwi, let alone even
• 45:53
  Speaker 1: many mammals at all, so it has been a safe
• 45:56
  Speaker 1: homeland for the bird. That is the goodness of God.
• 46:05
  Speaker 1: In the colonial period, however, about two centuries ago, stoats,
• 46:11
  Speaker 1: weasels and rats were introduced on the ships from Europe.
• 46:16
  Speaker 1: They now pose a major threat to the kiwi as
• 46:19
  Speaker 1: dangerous predators, but otherwise The Kiwi bird lives mostly at
• 46:26
  Speaker 1: peace in the protected areas of native forest and national parks.
• 46:34
  Speaker 1: The Kiwi is a shy nocturnal bird and the population
• 46:40
  Speaker 1: in New Zealand is very small. Therefore, they are currently
• 46:44
  Speaker 1: a threatened species. They are small and flightless, which makes
• 46:50
  Speaker 1: them vulnerable as they forage for food and raise their
• 46:54
  Speaker 1: young on the forest floor. God has given them a
• 46:58
  Speaker 1: greater chance for survival by designing them to mainly come
• 47:02
  Speaker 1: out at night. He knew that would give them somewhat
• 47:06
  Speaker 1: of a defense against predators. Tonight, I will guide you
• 47:14
  Speaker 1: on a night time stroll through one of the National
• 47:17
  Speaker 1: park areas on Stuart Island, a small conservation area located
• 47:23
  Speaker 1: just south of New Zealand's South Island, seemingly not much
• 47:27
  Speaker 1: more than a stone's throw from Antarctica. The sky is
• 47:34
  Speaker 1: clear on this particular night. The moon is full and
• 47:40
  Speaker 1: it lights the sky with the notes of pale blue.
• 47:45
  Speaker 1: The lush New Zealand forest is dense like the Amazon rainforest,
• 47:52
  Speaker 1: and the floor is covered in soft pine needles and
• 47:56
  Speaker 1: a carpet of drying red and brown leaves. The lamp
• 48:04
  Speaker 1: of the moon's light is streaming down through the leaves
• 48:09
  Speaker 1: and luminous shards along the ground, so I can make
• 48:13
  Speaker 1: my way without the need of a headlamp. The natural
• 48:18
  Speaker 1: light as blissful to my eyes as they adjust to
• 48:22
  Speaker 1: the dark. The sound of night in the forest is
• 48:29
  Speaker 1: mostly silence. There are a few insects that are singing
• 48:34
  Speaker 1: their songs, but only faintly. Here and there. It is
• 48:41
  Speaker 1: so peaceful. The rustles I hear now and then are
• 48:48
  Speaker 1: simply dead twigs and leaves falling to the ground. This
• 48:55
  Speaker 1: place is so safe, it's truly a sanctuary of names nature.
• 49:01
  Speaker 1: My hope is to catch sight of a kiwi tonight,
• 49:06
  Speaker 1: but they are very timid creatures and almost noiseless. They
• 49:12
  Speaker 1: have kept themselves from harm by not making a sound.
• 49:16
  Speaker 1: Even on the crunchy forest floor. I gaze up through
• 49:23
  Speaker 1: the canopy and see the stars glorious. Perhaps I'll just
• 49:32
  Speaker 1: sit down here on this soft clearing and watch the stars.
• 49:37
  Speaker 1: Who knows, Maybe a kiwi will feel safe and come
• 49:42
  Speaker 1: out eventually. They are hiding out of God given instinctual
• 49:49
  Speaker 1: wisdom rather than fear. But maybe they will feel safe
• 49:54
  Speaker 1: if they smell I'm here, but have no malicious intent.
• 50:00
  Speaker 1: The sense of smell is very sensitive and highly developed,
• 50:04
  Speaker 1: which is unique for a bird, so they certainly know
• 50:08
  Speaker 1: I'm here. Sitting on the soft ground feels very good.
• 50:18
  Speaker 1: I've been walking for a while to get this deep
• 50:20
  Speaker 1: into the forest, and I desire rest. I could easily
• 50:27
  Speaker 1: fall asleep here if I'm not careful. It's so comfortable,
• 50:34
  Speaker 1: and the sparkly stars are truly magnificent somehow not only
• 50:41
  Speaker 1: delicate and dainty sequins on a silky black backdrop, but
• 50:47
  Speaker 1: also I know they are humongous celestial bodies of blazing
• 50:53
  Speaker 1: fire and gas emitting volcanic explosions which cause those twinkles.
• 51:03
  Speaker 1: God's craftsmanship, both up in the heavens and down here
• 51:09
  Speaker 1: on earth, cannot be praised too much. It continues to
• 51:15
  Speaker 1: give me awe and wonder. This quiet rest here fills
• 51:23
  Speaker 1: me with trust and faith in Him, a small person
• 51:29
  Speaker 1: in the hands of a great God, an infinitely loving God.
• 51:37
  Speaker 1: Under the starry night, I am even now turning to
• 51:42
  Speaker 1: Him again and resting in him. I recall Isaiah thirty
• 51:49
  Speaker 1: verse fifteen. This is what the Sovereign Lord, the Holy
• 51:55
  Speaker 1: One of Israel, says. Only in returning to me and
• 52:02
  Speaker 1: resting in me will you be saved and quietness and
• 52:08
  Speaker 1: confidence as your strength. I am resting in him. He
• 52:15
  Speaker 1: is my only true deep rest. I can rest in
• 52:21
  Speaker 1: him even in the face of fear. He hasn't given
• 52:26
  Speaker 1: me a spirit of fear. He has given me a
• 52:31
  Speaker 1: spirit full of trust. Trust in him, and the effect
• 52:38
  Speaker 1: of righteousness will be peace, and the result of righteousness
• 52:45
  Speaker 1: quietness and trust. Forever. I am coming to him to
• 52:55
  Speaker 1: rest and receive his righteousness, which uses quietness and trust.
• 53:04
  Speaker 1: It certainly reminds me of the Kiwi living a life
• 53:08
  Speaker 1: under the stars in quietness and stillness, courageously coming out
• 53:15
  Speaker 1: of hiding every night to find nourishment, and in finding
• 53:21
  Speaker 1: nourishment finding strength again. For me, this points to Jesus.
• 53:32
  Speaker 1: He is the bread of life, and his word is
• 53:37
  Speaker 1: our true nourishment. And both his presence and his word
• 53:43
  Speaker 1: give us life and the ability to trust in him.
• 53:50
  Speaker 1: His quietness is such a gift. Here on this island,
• 53:57
  Speaker 1: away from the hustle and bustle, and away from civilization,
• 54:04
  Speaker 1: all is calm. The questions and the wrestling I have
• 54:10
  Speaker 1: during the day are stilled and quieted. This reminds me
• 54:17
  Speaker 1: of the words of childlike trust that King David penned
• 54:22
  Speaker 1: in p. One hundred and thirty one, Oh eternal one.
• 54:28
  Speaker 1: My heart is not occupied with proud thoughts. My eyes
• 54:33
  Speaker 1: do not look down on others. I don't even begin
• 54:37
  Speaker 1: to get involved in matters too big, matters of faith, state, business,
• 54:45
  Speaker 1: or the many things that defy my ability to understand them.
• 54:49
  Speaker 1: Of one thing, I am certain. My soul has become calm, quiet,
• 54:59
  Speaker 1: and con hinted in you, like a weaned child resting
• 55:05
  Speaker 1: upon his mother. I am quiet. My soul is like
• 55:11
  Speaker 1: a weaned child. Oh Israel, stake your trust completely in
• 55:21
  Speaker 1: the eternal from this very moment and into the vast future.
• 55:30
  Speaker 1: What tonic those words are. What a soothing bomb to
• 55:35
  Speaker 1: my soul. There is a bomb in Gilead, and his
• 55:41
  Speaker 1: name is Jesus. May we all be able to inhabit
• 55:48
  Speaker 1: that truth and practice it even during the busy day
• 55:54
  Speaker 1: and during the confusing night seasons, when we are apt
• 55:58
  Speaker 1: to wrestle with God and come with our questions. As
• 56:06
  Speaker 1: I rest here, my questions and confusions fade, They fade
• 56:13
  Speaker 1: away into the forest dim What I can't see, I
• 56:19
  Speaker 1: can't see, and that's okay. As a small child in
• 56:25
  Speaker 1: the Lord's arms, I can come to peace with mystery.
• 56:33
  Speaker 1: His ways are far above my ways I can simply
• 56:38
  Speaker 1: sit here and breathe in the cool night air. It's
• 56:45
  Speaker 1: the purest air I've breathed in many a long day.
• 56:52
  Speaker 1: But there, I think I can hear a gentle peeping
• 56:57
  Speaker 1: noise and a soft foot rustling. I shan't turn on
• 57:03
  Speaker 1: my flashlight because it would frighten the tender little kiwi
• 57:06
  Speaker 1: while it's seeking dinner. My eyes have adjusted more to
• 57:12
  Speaker 1: my surroundings, and the moonlight is illuminating the forest beautifully.
• 57:21
  Speaker 1: Lo and behold, I can see the cute brown kiwi.
• 57:27
  Speaker 1: It's carefully and gingerly stepping on the leafy carpet, using
• 57:34
  Speaker 1: its very long and delicate beak to forage for worms
• 57:38
  Speaker 1: and grubs. It doesn't seem bothered by me. It's coming closer,
• 57:45
  Speaker 1: so perhaps it senses that I mean no harm. I
• 57:50
  Speaker 1: have simply come to visit it in its home and
• 57:53
  Speaker 1: learn more about my relationship with God by observing its
• 58:00
  Speaker 1: innocently trusting and getting on with its God made purpose.
• 58:06
  Speaker 1: That is very good for me to learn too. In fact,
• 58:12
  Speaker 1: even Paul gives this advice in first the Salonians four eleven.
• 58:18
  Speaker 1: And make it your goal to lead a peaceful life.
• 58:23
  Speaker 1: Mind your own business. And keep your hands busy in
• 58:27
  Speaker 1: your work, as we have instructed you. This kiwi is
• 58:33
  Speaker 1: minding its own business, doing what God is calling it
• 58:38
  Speaker 1: to do, and thus it's cultivating a life of peace
• 58:43
  Speaker 1: and quiet. We could all avoid much pain and turmoil
• 58:49
  Speaker 1: if we did what God put in front of us
• 58:52
  Speaker 1: and obeyed him in trust and simplicity. Sitting here on
• 59:00
  Speaker 1: the forest floor watching this innocent, little flightless bird, I
• 59:06
  Speaker 1: feel like I'm doing what I was made to do,
• 59:11
  Speaker 1: resting in the gentle and sweet presence of the Holy Spirit,
• 59:17
  Speaker 1: enjoying the majesty of the Almighty Creator God. Surely that
• 59:25
  Speaker 1: is what we are called into. Quietness and simplicity and
• 59:33
  Speaker 1: trust and a life of rest and peace and believing
• 59:39
  Speaker 1: in Him. I invite you, precious listener, to remain in
• 59:48
  Speaker 1: the peaceful forest and enjoy the sights and sounds. Continue
• 59:56
  Speaker 1: watching this demure little kiwi for worms, and let sleep
• 1:00:03
  Speaker 1: bring rest to your soul. Let me pray over you
• 1:00:10
  Speaker 1: one final time in the words of Romans fifteen thirteen.
• 1:00:17
  Speaker 1: I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill
• 1:00:23
  Speaker 1: you completely with joy and peace. Because you trust in Him,
• 1:00:30
  Speaker 1: then you will overflow with confident hope through the power
• 1:00:35
  Speaker 1: of the Holy Spirit and Precious One. May you return
• 1:00:41
  Speaker 1: to the Lord day after day and find rest in him.
• 1:00:47
  Speaker 1: May you bring him your questions and wrestle during the
• 1:00:51
  Speaker 1: night seasons, but find his blessing greets you at break
• 1:00:56
  Speaker 1: of dawn. May trust in Him give you strength every
• 1:01:02
  Speaker 1: hour as you walk with Him through this life. And
• 1:01:07
  Speaker 1: the precious name of Jesus. Amen, as you sleep, receive
• 1:01:16
  Speaker 1: the truth that repentance and rest are your salvation, and
• 1:01:24
  Speaker 1: quietness and trust are your strength. Let's listen again to
• 1:01:31
  Speaker 1: this sleep story about quietness and trust. The night seasons
• 1:01:39
  Speaker 1: in my life have been seasons of wrestling. I have
• 1:01:43
  Speaker 1: wrestled with the Lord like Jacob wrestled all through the
• 1:01:47
  Speaker 1: night at Pennial. In my night seasons, I have grappled
• 1:01:52
  Speaker 1: with God and have come with much of my confusion
• 1:01:56
  Speaker 1: and questions, Why God has this happened in this way
• 1:02:02
  Speaker 1: or why has that happened to my loved one in
• 1:02:05
  Speaker 1: that way? Let me encourage you, dear listener. I have
• 1:02:12
  Speaker 1: realized more deeply through each night season that our Papa
• 1:02:18
  Speaker 1: God is big enough to take anything we bring to him.
• 1:02:25
  Speaker 1: He showed me that He really wanted me to present
• 1:02:29
  Speaker 1: to him all my questions, especially from my hard and
• 1:02:34
  Speaker 1: painful experiences. If you've ever met a small child, a
• 1:02:41
  Speaker 1: word often on their lips is why. It's childlike to
• 1:02:46
  Speaker 1: ask him why. But it's trusting to be okay with
• 1:02:51
  Speaker 1: mystery when he says that he may not tell us
• 1:02:54
  Speaker 1: the full reasons why until the eternal life to come.
• 1:03:01
  Speaker 1: What I learned and am still learning, is that it's
• 1:03:05
  Speaker 1: far better to tussle with my Papa God than to
• 1:03:10
  Speaker 1: back away in confusion and give him the silent treatment.
• 1:03:15
  Speaker 1: I work intentionally on keeping my heart as soft as
• 1:03:19
  Speaker 1: I can toward him and learning to be content with mystery.
• 1:03:28
  Speaker 1: Sometimes I repeat to myself many times, he is God
• 1:03:34
  Speaker 1: and I am not, and I can't God can. I
• 1:03:42
  Speaker 1: think I'll let him. In my journey to quietness and trust,
• 1:03:49
  Speaker 1: I have learned there is a time to talk and
• 1:03:52
  Speaker 1: a time to be silent. When I share everything I
• 1:03:58
  Speaker 1: have on my heart with Jesus, I can be still
• 1:04:02
  Speaker 1: and quiet, And that's very different from a stony hearted
• 1:04:08
  Speaker 1: silent treatment. It's a contented stillness. It's when I know
• 1:04:17
  Speaker 1: I've said my peace, so now I can be at peace.
• 1:04:24
  Speaker 1: And in the quietness I sometimes feel his presence tangibly
• 1:04:30
  Speaker 1: and sometimes I don't, but I know he's there, And
• 1:04:35
  Speaker 1: when I leave, I know he has heard the deepest
• 1:04:40
  Speaker 1: groanings of my heart that I haven't even known how
• 1:04:43
  Speaker 1: to utter. He hears even our unspoken prayers. How awesome
• 1:04:52
  Speaker 1: he is. He truly inspires our awe and wonder. Sometimes
• 1:05:03
  Speaker 1: I've sat in stillness with him and a few tears
• 1:05:07
  Speaker 1: spring to my eyes, and I'm not sure why. Then
• 1:05:12
  Speaker 1: later I realize that was the Holy Spirit coming and
• 1:05:18
  Speaker 1: softening my heart and touching my pain and just letting
• 1:05:24
  Speaker 1: it out, not too much and not all at once,
• 1:05:30
  Speaker 1: just as much as I can handle. And those moments,
• 1:05:35
  Speaker 1: even when they have been brief, have opened the eyes
• 1:05:39
  Speaker 1: of my heart more to his gentleness and have kept
• 1:05:43
  Speaker 1: my questions from hardening my heart. Allow me to read
• 1:05:51
  Speaker 1: our scripture from is Ia thirty verse fifteen, and perhaps
• 1:05:56
  Speaker 1: you will experience your heart softening even as you hear
• 1:06:01
  Speaker 1: the words of the Lord himself. This is what the
• 1:06:06
  Speaker 1: Sovereign Lord, the Holy One of Israel, says. In repentance
• 1:06:14
  Speaker 1: and rest is your salvation. In quietness and trust is
• 1:06:21
  Speaker 1: your strength. God obviously had this message on his heart
• 1:06:27
  Speaker 1: so much that he spoke through Isaiah again two chapters
• 1:06:32
  Speaker 1: later in verse seventeen, when he said, and the effect
• 1:06:37
  Speaker 1: of righteousness will be peace, and the result of righteousness
• 1:06:44
  Speaker 1: quietness and trust Forever. This beautiful connection between quietness and
• 1:06:52
  Speaker 1: trust is being reaffirmed for us, and it's as needed
• 1:06:57
  Speaker 1: for the ancient Israelites as that is needed for my
• 1:07:01
  Speaker 1: own personal life as well as yours. Every day the
• 1:07:07
  Speaker 1: devil comes out with his old arsenal of distractions and
• 1:07:11
  Speaker 1: a well thumbed script of lies. For me, it always
• 1:07:17
  Speaker 1: includes the idea that I'm too busy for God, or
• 1:07:21
  Speaker 1: when I finally do sit with God, I get bombarded
• 1:07:25
  Speaker 1: with thoughts of all the things I need to do,
• 1:07:28
  Speaker 1: or worse still, the lie that I'm not good enough
• 1:07:33
  Speaker 1: or righteous enough to sit in God's presence. Any of
• 1:07:40
  Speaker 1: us who have experienced stillness and quiet might find it
• 1:07:45
  Speaker 1: very confusing at first, because our minds start going crazy.
• 1:07:51
  Speaker 1: This has happened to me when I went through periods
• 1:07:54
  Speaker 1: of insomnia. My body would be exhausted as I lay
• 1:07:58
  Speaker 1: there in bed, but my mind would be racing like
• 1:08:02
  Speaker 1: an autumn leaf being buffeted and tossed along a rushing stream,
• 1:08:10
  Speaker 1: and slowly as I kept inviting the Holy Spirit into
• 1:08:14
  Speaker 1: those times his voice drowned out my own scattered thoughts
• 1:08:20
  Speaker 1: and the lies of the devil. One of his greatest
• 1:08:27
  Speaker 1: gifts to me and you is rest, he says quite
• 1:08:33
  Speaker 1: plainly in Psalm one hundred and twenty seven, verse two.
• 1:08:38
  Speaker 1: In vain, you rise early and stay up late, toiling
• 1:08:43
  Speaker 1: for food to eat. For he grants sleep to those
• 1:08:49
  Speaker 1: he loves. Our sleep is a precious gift from him
• 1:08:54
  Speaker 1: to us. Even now. Let me pray over you as
• 1:08:59
  Speaker 1: ye you receive his gift and enter into deeper peace.
• 1:09:07
  Speaker 1: Oh wonderful Lord and Savior, we are so thankful for
• 1:09:12
  Speaker 1: your gift of rest. How delicious quietness can be when
• 1:09:20
  Speaker 1: you calm our busy minds and bring a peace that
• 1:09:24
  Speaker 1: we can't strive. For Lord, I pray over this beloved
• 1:09:31
  Speaker 1: child of yours that you would bring deep sleep to them.
• 1:09:38
  Speaker 1: Calm their minds, protect their thoughts from all lies. Grant
• 1:09:45
  Speaker 1: them the knowledge that they can come boldly to you,
• 1:09:51
  Speaker 1: so that you can speak with them face to face
• 1:09:55
  Speaker 1: like a friend. They are your friend. They are not
• 1:10:02
  Speaker 1: worthy in and of themselves to come to you, but
• 1:10:06
  Speaker 1: Jesus has made them worthy. I pray the blood of
• 1:10:12
  Speaker 1: Jesus all over them tonight May His blood cover their minds,
• 1:10:20
  Speaker 1: just like the blood cover the doorposts of the Israelites
• 1:10:24
  Speaker 1: when the Angel of Death passed over them in Egypt.
• 1:10:29
  Speaker 1: Let every negative thought and lie pass over them, while
• 1:10:35
  Speaker 1: the powerful blood of Jesus Christ covers them from head
• 1:10:41
  Speaker 1: to toe inside out. Lord, they are turning to you
• 1:10:48
  Speaker 1: now as their best defense and their only source of
• 1:10:54
  Speaker 1: true rest and strength. Quiet their mind and open their
• 1:11:01
  Speaker 1: heart to what you have to say to them tonight.
• 1:11:06
  Speaker 1: That might simply be the gentle whisper of fear. Not,
• 1:11:12
  Speaker 1: for I have redeemed you, I have called you by name.
• 1:11:19
  Speaker 1: You are mine. Ah, What extraordinary words whisper them again
• 1:11:29
  Speaker 1: and again to this beloved child of Yours Father. Let
• 1:11:34
  Speaker 1: it sink into their hearts so deeply that it becomes
• 1:11:40
  Speaker 1: their internal script. We love you and we trust, Dear Lord.
• 1:11:50
  Speaker 1: We don't have enough years in this life to adequately
• 1:11:54
  Speaker 1: thank you and praise you, But you see our hearts
• 1:12:00
  Speaker 1: and your son's name, the beautiful name of Jesus. We
• 1:12:05
  Speaker 1: pray this prayer. Amen. When I think of quietness and trust,
• 1:12:14
  Speaker 1: I often think of the Kiwi bird, which is native
• 1:12:17
  Speaker 1: to my homeland of New Zealand. It's found nowhere else
• 1:12:23
  Speaker 1: in the world, and that's a good thing. Every other
• 1:12:27
  Speaker 1: country has predators that would long have made it extinct.
• 1:12:33
  Speaker 1: New Zealand doesn't have many native predators for the kiwi,
• 1:12:37
  Speaker 1: let alone even many mammals at all, so it has
• 1:12:41
  Speaker 1: been a safe homeland for the bird. That is the
• 1:12:45
  Speaker 1: goodness of God. In the colonial period, however, about two
• 1:12:53
  Speaker 1: centuries ago, stoats, weasels and rats were introduced on the
• 1:12:59
  Speaker 1: ships from Europe. They now pose a major threat to
• 1:13:03
  Speaker 1: the kiwi as dangerous predators, but otherwise the kiwi bird
• 1:13:09
  Speaker 1: lives mostly at peace in the protected areas of native
• 1:13:14
  Speaker 1: forest and national parks. The Kiwi is a shy nocturnal
• 1:13:22
  Speaker 1: bird and the population in New Zealand is very small. Therefore,
• 1:13:28
  Speaker 1: they are currently a threatened species. They are small and flightless,
• 1:13:35
  Speaker 1: which makes them vulnerable as they forage for food and
• 1:13:38
  Speaker 1: raise their young on the forest floor. God has given
• 1:13:43
  Speaker 1: them a greater chance for survival by designing them to
• 1:13:46
  Speaker 1: mainly come out at night. He knew that would give
• 1:13:51
  Speaker 1: them somewhat of a defense against predators. Tonight, I will
• 1:13:58
  Speaker 1: guide you on a night stroll through one of the
• 1:14:01
  Speaker 1: national park areas on Stuart Island, a small conservation area
• 1:14:07
  Speaker 1: located just south of New Zealand's South Island, seemingly not
• 1:14:12
  Speaker 1: much more than a stone's throw from Antarctica. The sky
• 1:14:19
  Speaker 1: is clear on this particular night. The moon is full
• 1:14:24
  Speaker 1: and it lights the sky with the notes of pale blue.
• 1:14:30
  Speaker 1: The lush New Zealand forest is dense like the Amazon rainforest,
• 1:14:37
  Speaker 1: and the floor is covered in soft pine needles and
• 1:14:42
  Speaker 1: a carpet of drying red and brown leaves. The lamp
• 1:14:49
  Speaker 1: of the moon's light is streaming down through the leaves
• 1:14:54
  Speaker 1: in luminous shads along the ground, so I can make
• 1:14:58
  Speaker 1: my way without the need of a headlamp. The natural
• 1:15:04
  Speaker 1: light is blissful to my eyes as they ad just
• 1:15:07
  Speaker 1: to the dark. The sound of night in the forest
• 1:15:14
  Speaker 1: is mostly silence. There are a few insects that are
• 1:15:19
  Speaker 1: singing their songs, but only faintly. Here and there. It
• 1:15:26
  Speaker 1: is so peaceful. The rustles I hear now and then
• 1:15:32
  Speaker 1: are simply dead twigs and leaves falling to the ground.
• 1:15:39
  Speaker 1: This place is so safe, it's truly a sanctuary of nature.
• 1:15:46
  Speaker 1: My hope is to catch sight of a kiwi tonight,
• 1:15:51
  Speaker 1: but they are very timid creatures and almost noiseless. They
• 1:15:57
  Speaker 1: have kept themselves from harm by not making a sound.
• 1:16:01
  Speaker 1: Even on the crunchy forest floor. I gaze up through
• 1:16:08
  Speaker 1: the canopy and see the stars glorious. Perhaps I'll just
• 1:16:17
  Speaker 1: sit down here on this soft clearing and watch the stars.
• 1:16:22
  Speaker 1: Who knows, Maybe a key we will feel safe and
• 1:16:26
  Speaker 1: come out eventually. They are hiding out of God given
• 1:16:33
  Speaker 1: instinctual wisdom rather than fear. But maybe they will feel
• 1:16:38
  Speaker 1: safe if they smell I'm here, but have no malicious intent.
• 1:16:44
  Speaker 1: Their sense of smell is very sensitive and highly developed,
• 1:16:49
  Speaker 1: which is unique for a bird, so they certainly know
• 1:16:53
  Speaker 1: I'm here. Sitting on the soft ground feels very good.
• 1:17:03
  Speaker 1: I've been walking for a while to get this deep
• 1:17:05
  Speaker 1: into the forest, and I desire rest. I could easily
• 1:17:12
  Speaker 1: fall asleep here if I'm not careful. It's so comfortable,
• 1:17:19
  Speaker 1: and the sparkly stars are truly magnificent somehow not only
• 1:17:26
  Speaker 1: delicate and dainty sequins on a silky black backdrop, but
• 1:17:33
  Speaker 1: also I know they are humongous celestial bodies of blazing
• 1:17:38
  Speaker 1: fire and gas emitsing volcanic explosions which cause those twinkles.
• 1:17:48
  Speaker 1: God's craftsmanship, both up in the heavens and down here
• 1:17:54
  Speaker 1: on Earth, cannot be praised too much, continues to give
• 1:18:01
  Speaker 1: me awe and wonder. This quiet rest here fills me
• 1:18:09
  Speaker 1: with trust and faith in him, a small person in
• 1:18:14
  Speaker 1: the hands of a great God and infinitely loving God.
• 1:18:22
  Speaker 1: Under the starry night, I am even now turning to
• 1:18:27
  Speaker 1: him again and resting in him. I recall Isaiah thirty
• 1:18:34
  Speaker 1: verse fifteen. This is what the Sovereign Lord, the Holy
• 1:18:40
  Speaker 1: One of Israel, says. Only in returning to me and
• 1:18:47
  Speaker 1: resting in me will you be saved and quietness and
• 1:18:53
  Speaker 1: confidence as your strength. I am resting in him. He
• 1:19:00
  Speaker 1: is my only true deep rest. I can rest in
• 1:19:06
  Speaker 1: him even in the face of fear. He hasn't given
• 1:19:12
  Speaker 1: me a spirit of fear. He has given me a
• 1:19:16
  Speaker 1: spirit full of trust. Trust in him, and the effect
• 1:19:23
  Speaker 1: of righteousness will be peace and the result of righteousness
• 1:19:30
  Speaker 1: quietness and trust. Forever. I am coming to him to
• 1:19:40
  Speaker 1: rest and receive his righteousness, which produces quietness and trust.
• 1:19:49
  Speaker 1: It certainly reminds me of the Kiwi living a life
• 1:19:53
  Speaker 1: under the stars in quietness and stillness, courageous coming out
• 1:20:00
  Speaker 1: of hiding every night to find nourishment, and in finding
• 1:20:06
  Speaker 1: nourishment finding strength again. For me. This points to Jesus.
• 1:20:17
  Speaker 1: He is the bread of life, and his word is
• 1:20:22
  Speaker 1: our true nourishment. And both his presence and his word
• 1:20:29
  Speaker 1: give us life and the ability to trust in him.
• 1:20:35
  Speaker 1: His quietness is such a gift. Here on this island,
• 1:20:42
  Speaker 1: away from the hustle and bustle, and away from civilization,
• 1:20:49
  Speaker 1: all is calm. The questions and the wrestling I have
• 1:20:55
  Speaker 1: during the day are stilled and quieted. This reminds me
• 1:21:02
  Speaker 1: of the words of childlike trust that King David penned
• 1:21:07
  Speaker 1: in some one hundred and thirty one, Oh Eternal One.
• 1:21:13
  Speaker 1: My heart is not occupied with proud thoughts. My eyes
• 1:21:18
  Speaker 1: do not look down on others. I don't even begin
• 1:21:22
  Speaker 1: to get involved in matters too big, matters of faith, state, business,
• 1:21:30
  Speaker 1: or the many things that defy my ability to understand them.
• 1:21:34
  Speaker 1: Of one thing, I am certain, my soul has become calm,
• 1:21:42
  Speaker 1: quiet and contented in you, like a weaned child resting
• 1:21:50
  Speaker 1: upon his mother. I am quiet. My soul is like
• 1:21:56
  Speaker 1: a weaned child. Oh, Oh Israel, stake your trust completely
• 1:22:06
  Speaker 1: in the eternal, from this very moment and into the
• 1:22:11
  Speaker 1: vast future. What tonic those words are. What a soothing
• 1:22:19
  Speaker 1: bomb to my soul. There is a bomb in Gilead,
• 1:22:26
  Speaker 1: and his name is Jesus. May we all be able
• 1:22:32
  Speaker 1: to inhabit that truth and practice it even during the
• 1:22:37
  Speaker 1: busy day and during the confusing night seasons, when we
• 1:22:42
  Speaker 1: are apt to wrestle with God and come with our questions.
• 1:22:50
  Speaker 1: As I rest here, my questions and confusions fade, They
• 1:22:57
  Speaker 1: fade away into the far dim. What I can't see
• 1:23:04
  Speaker 1: I can't see, and that's okay. As a small child
• 1:23:10
  Speaker 1: in the Lord's arms, I can come to peace with mystery.
• 1:23:18
  Speaker 1: His ways are far above my ways. I can simply
• 1:23:23
  Speaker 1: sit here and breathe in the cool night air. It's
• 1:23:30
  Speaker 1: the purest air I've breathed in many a long day.
• 1:23:37
  Speaker 1: But there I think I can hear a gentle peeping
• 1:23:42
  Speaker 1: noise and a soft footed rustling. I shan't turn on
• 1:23:48
  Speaker 1: my flashlight because it would frighten the tender little kiwi.
• 1:23:51
  Speaker 1: While seeking dinner, my eyes have adjusted more to my surroundings,
• 1:23:59
  Speaker 1: and the moonlight is illuminating the forest beautifully. Lo and behold,
• 1:24:08
  Speaker 1: I can see the cute brown kiwi. It's carefully and
• 1:24:14
  Speaker 1: gingerly stepping on the leafy carpet, using its very long
• 1:24:20
  Speaker 1: and delicate beak to forage for worms and grubs. It
• 1:24:26
  Speaker 1: doesn't seem bothered by me. It's coming closer, so perhaps
• 1:24:31
  Speaker 1: it senses that I mean no harm. I have simply
• 1:24:35
  Speaker 1: come to visit it in its home and learn more
• 1:24:39
  Speaker 1: about my relationship with God by observing it. It's innocently
• 1:24:45
  Speaker 1: trusting and getting on with its God made purpose. That
• 1:24:52
  Speaker 1: is very good for me to learn too. In fact,
• 1:24:57
  Speaker 1: even Paul gives this advice in First Thessalonians four eleven.
• 1:25:03
  Speaker 1: And make it your goal to lead a peaceful life.
• 1:25:08
  Speaker 1: Mind your own business and keep your hands busy in
• 1:25:12
  Speaker 1: your work, as we have instructed you. This kiwi is
• 1:25:18
  Speaker 1: minding its own business, doing what God is calling it
• 1:25:23
  Speaker 1: to do, and thus it's cultivating a life of peace
• 1:25:28
  Speaker 1: and quiet. We could all avoid much pain and turmoil
• 1:25:34
  Speaker 1: if we did what God put in front of us
• 1:25:37
  Speaker 1: and obeyed him in trust and simplicity. Sitting here on
• 1:25:45
  Speaker 1: the forest floor watching this innocent, little flightless bird, I
• 1:25:51
  Speaker 1: feel like I'm doing what I was made to do,
• 1:25:56
  Speaker 1: resting in the gentle and sweet presence of the Holy Spirit,
• 1:26:03
  Speaker 1: enjoying the majesty of the almighty creator God. Surely that
• 1:26:10
  Speaker 1: is what we are called into. Quietness and simplicity. And
• 1:26:18
  Speaker 1: trust and a life of rest and peace and believing
• 1:26:24
  Speaker 1: in Him. I invite you, precious listener, to remain in
• 1:26:33
  Speaker 1: the peaceful forest and enjoy the sights and sounds. Continue
• 1:26:41
  Speaker 1: watching this demure little Kiwi foraging for worms, and let
• 1:26:47
  Speaker 1: sleep bring rest to your soul. Let me pray over
• 1:26:55
  Speaker 1: you one final time in the words of Romans fifteen thirteen.
• 1:27:02
  Speaker 1: I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill
• 1:27:08
  Speaker 1: you completely with joy and peace. Because you trust in Him,
• 1:27:15
  Speaker 1: then you will overflow with confident hope through the power
• 1:27:20
  Speaker 1: of the Holy Spirit and Precious One. May you return
• 1:27:26
  Speaker 1: to the Lord day after day and find rest in him.
• 1:27:32
  Speaker 1: May you bring him your questions and wrestle during the
• 1:27:36
  Speaker 1: night seasons, but find his blessing greets you at break
• 1:27:41
  Speaker 1: of dawn. May trust in Him give you strength every
• 1:27:47
  Speaker 1: hour as you walk with Him through this life. And
• 1:27:52
  Speaker 1: the precious name of Jesus Amen, as you sleep, receive
• 1:28:01
  Speaker 1: the truth that repentance and rest are your salvation, and
• 1:28:09
  Speaker 1: quietness and trust are your strength. As the stresses of
• 1:28:21
  Speaker 1: a busy daily life can get to us and disrupt
• 1:28:25
  Speaker 1: our connection with God, we need to cultivate quietness more
• 1:28:31
  Speaker 1: than ever, so tonight we'll be meditating on the scripture
• 1:28:37
  Speaker 1: in Isaiah thirty verse fifteen and hearing about how quietness
• 1:28:43
  Speaker 1: and trust are our strength. Quietness in the presence of
• 1:28:50
  Speaker 1: God is perhaps one of the greatest ways to increase
• 1:28:55
  Speaker 1: our trust in God. And as his life life gets
• 1:29:01
  Speaker 1: into us more and more, we find that He is
• 1:29:05
  Speaker 1: our strength. If you feel lacking in strength, may you
• 1:29:13
  Speaker 1: seek the Lord and his face tonight as you listen,
• 1:29:18
  Speaker 1: and may you be infused with His strength as our foundation.
• 1:29:26
  Speaker 1: Scripture from Isaiah thirty is fifteen reads, this is what
• 1:29:31
  Speaker 1: the Sovereign Lord, the Holy One of Israel says in
• 1:29:37
  Speaker 1: repentance and rest is your salvation. In quietness and trust
• 1:29:46
  Speaker 1: is your strength. So then let us turn to Him
• 1:29:52
  Speaker 1: again and again for daily salvation and daily strength. You
• 1:29:59
  Speaker 1: will be experiencing this quietness and trust in the comfort
• 1:30:04
  Speaker 1: of your own bed while coming on a nighttime journey
• 1:30:09
  Speaker 1: through the lush forest of the South Island of New Zealand.
• 1:30:15
  Speaker 1: We will be deepening our trust in God as we
• 1:30:20
  Speaker 1: wander through the bushy glade, hearing the sound of the
• 1:30:24
  Speaker 1: nocturnal Kiwi bird and other shy creatures that only come
• 1:30:29
  Speaker 1: out at night. Let's observe them and learn how we
• 1:30:35
  Speaker 1: can practice quietness and trust. But first, let's get cozy
• 1:30:45
  Speaker 1: in bed. This is one of the best moments of
• 1:30:50
  Speaker 1: the day when we get to completely relax and let
• 1:30:56
  Speaker 1: go of every care and concern, everything that might weigh
• 1:31:01
  Speaker 1: on us during the day. The night is for quietness
• 1:31:07
  Speaker 1: and rest, and your bed is one of the most
• 1:31:13
  Speaker 1: safe and secure places for you. Precious listener, God is
• 1:31:22
  Speaker 1: watching over you, so make yourself totally comfortable here. Adjust
• 1:31:31
  Speaker 1: your pillows, pull up your blankets, dim or turn off
• 1:31:37
  Speaker 1: the lights, and when you are ready, come to stillness.
• 1:31:44
  Speaker 1: You may have been vertical all day longing to be horizontal,
• 1:31:51
  Speaker 1: and now you are. Notice how relieving it is for
• 1:31:57
  Speaker 1: your head and legs and arms and back. Breathe deeply
• 1:32:07
  Speaker 1: as you let all tension go. Imagine that tension is
• 1:32:14
  Speaker 1: falling off you and sinking to the floor. All you
• 1:32:21
  Speaker 1: are left with is lightness and peace. Keep breathing gently
• 1:32:30
  Speaker 1: and deeply, feeling all stagnant air evaporating away and leaving
• 1:32:37
  Speaker 1: your body only fresh air is filling your lungs now
• 1:32:44
  Speaker 1: as you breathe in fresh oxygen. Bring your awareness to
• 1:32:50
  Speaker 1: the Holy Spirit within you and around you. Sense His presence.
• 1:33:01
  Speaker 1: It may be subtle, or it may be more tangible.
• 1:33:07
  Speaker 1: He may be bringing peace to your heart or calm
• 1:33:11
  Speaker 1: to your emotions, or maybe he's bringing you a sensation
• 1:33:17
  Speaker 1: in your body of warmth or a feeling like liquid
• 1:33:22
  Speaker 1: love that's running down your back. His presence is most precious,
• 1:33:32
  Speaker 1: and his words are sweeter than honey on your lips.
• 1:33:40
  Speaker 1: You are able to experience his presence during your daily
• 1:33:44
  Speaker 1: life just as keenly as you can experience him in
• 1:33:48
  Speaker 1: the quietness. It takes awareness and invitation, just like you're practicing. Now,
• 1:34:00
  Speaker 1: keep breathing and inviting him in. He will cause this
• 1:34:07
  Speaker 1: bedtime story to not only encourage you, but to transform
• 1:34:13
  Speaker 1: and heal you and open you up to his love
• 1:34:17
  Speaker 1: more deeply. Continue letting all your cares and worries go
• 1:34:24
  Speaker 1: to him. Let's pray. Dear loving Lord, we invite you
• 1:34:34
  Speaker 1: to guide this bedtime story tonight and lead us through
• 1:34:39
  Speaker 1: the night to a deeper trust in you than we
• 1:34:42
  Speaker 1: have ever experienced before. Lord. In this confusing life, we
• 1:34:51
  Speaker 1: have questions about why certain things happen, but we love
• 1:34:57
  Speaker 1: you and we trust you. Increase our childlike trust in you,
• 1:35:05
  Speaker 1: and through this story tonight, deposit a renewed gift of
• 1:35:10
  Speaker 1: faith into our hearts. We are seeking you, and you
• 1:35:17
  Speaker 1: promise to be found by us. Bless this precious one's
• 1:35:24
  Speaker 1: sleep tonight, and may they find rest and strength. Just
• 1:35:31
  Speaker 1: as Isaiah prophesied, we bless your name. Lord. There is
• 1:35:37
  Speaker 1: no one like you, not in the heavens or in
• 1:35:41
  Speaker 1: the earth. No one except you can give us strength
• 1:35:47
  Speaker 1: and peace and your son's mighty name. Amen. The night
• 1:35:56
  Speaker 1: seasons in my life have been seasons of REDI I
• 1:36:01
  Speaker 1: have wrestled with the Lord like Jacob wrestled all through
• 1:36:05
  Speaker 1: the night at Pennial. In my night seasons, I have
• 1:36:10
  Speaker 1: grappled with God and have come with much of my
• 1:36:14
  Speaker 1: confusion and questions, Why God has this happened in this way?
• 1:36:20
  Speaker 1: Or why has that happened to my loved one in
• 1:36:23
  Speaker 1: that way? Let me encourage you, dear listener. I have
• 1:36:30
  Speaker 1: realized more deeply through each night season that our Papa
• 1:36:36
  Speaker 1: God is big enough to take anything we bring to him.
• 1:36:43
  Speaker 1: He showed me that He really wanted me to present
• 1:36:47
  Speaker 1: to him all my questions, especially from my hard and
• 1:36:52
  Speaker 1: painful experiences. If you've ever met a small child, a
• 1:36:59
  Speaker 1: word of and on their lips is why it's childlike
• 1:37:04
  Speaker 1: to ask him why, But it's trusting to be okay
• 1:37:09
  Speaker 1: with mystery when he says that he may not tell
• 1:37:12
  Speaker 1: us the full reasons why until the eternal life to come.
• 1:37:19
  Speaker 1: What I learned and am still learning, is that it's
• 1:37:24
  Speaker 1: far better to tussle with my Papa God than to
• 1:37:28
  Speaker 1: back away in confusion and give him the silent treatment.
• 1:37:33
  Speaker 1: I work intentionally on keeping my heart as soft as
• 1:37:37
  Speaker 1: I can toward him and learning to be content with mystery.
• 1:37:46
  Speaker 1: Sometimes I repeat to myself many times, he is God
• 1:37:52
  Speaker 1: and I am not, and I can't God can. I
• 1:38:00
  Speaker 1: think I'll let him. In my journey to quietness and trust,
• 1:38:07
  Speaker 1: I have learned there is a time to talk and
• 1:38:10
  Speaker 1: a time to be silent. When I share everything I
• 1:38:16
  Speaker 1: have on my heart with Jesus, I can be still
• 1:38:20
  Speaker 1: and quiet. And that's very different from a stony hearted
• 1:38:26
  Speaker 1: silent treatment. It's a contented stillness. It's when I know
• 1:38:35
  Speaker 1: I have said my peace, so now I can be
• 1:38:38
  Speaker 1: at peace. And in the quietness. I sometimes feel his
• 1:38:46
  Speaker 1: presence tangibly, and sometimes I don't, but I know he's there,
• 1:38:53
  Speaker 1: and when I leave, I know he has heard the
• 1:38:57
  Speaker 1: deepest groanings of my heart that I haven't even known
• 1:39:01
  Speaker 1: how to utter. He hears even our unspoken prayers. How
• 1:39:10
  Speaker 1: awesome he is. He truly inspires our awe and wonder.
• 1:39:20
  Speaker 1: Sometimes I've sat in stillness with him and a few
• 1:39:24
  Speaker 1: tears spring to my eyes, and I'm not sure why.
• 1:39:29
  Speaker 1: Then later I realize that was the Holy Spirit coming
• 1:39:35
  Speaker 1: and softening my heart and touching my pain and just
• 1:39:41
  Speaker 1: letting it out, not too much and not all at once,
• 1:39:48
  Speaker 1: just as much as I can handle. And those moments,
• 1:39:53
  Speaker 1: even when they have been brief, have opened the eyes
• 1:39:57
  Speaker 1: of my heart more to his gentleness, and have kept
• 1:40:02
  Speaker 1: my questions from hardening my heart. Allow me to read
• 1:40:09
  Speaker 1: our scripture from Isaiah thirty, verse fifteen, and perhaps you
• 1:40:15
  Speaker 1: will experience your heart softening even as you hear the
• 1:40:19
  Speaker 1: words of the Lord himself. This is what the Sovereign Lord,
• 1:40:26
  Speaker 1: the Holy One of Israel, says. In repentance and rest
• 1:40:33
  Speaker 1: is your salvation. In quietness and trust is your strength.
• 1:40:42
  Speaker 1: God obviously had this message on his heart so much
• 1:40:47
  Speaker 1: that he spoke through Isaiah again two chapters later in
• 1:40:51
  Speaker 1: verse seventeen, when he said, and the effect of righteousness
• 1:40:57
  Speaker 1: will be peace, and the real result of righteousness, quietness
• 1:41:03
  Speaker 1: and trust forever This beautiful connection between quietness and trust
• 1:41:12
  Speaker 1: is being reaffirmed for us, and it's as needed for
• 1:41:15
  Speaker 1: the ancient Israelites as it is needed for my own
• 1:41:19
  Speaker 1: personal life as well as yours. Every day, the devil
• 1:41:25
  Speaker 1: comes out with his old arsenal of distractions and is
• 1:41:30
  Speaker 1: a well thumbed script of lies. For me, it always
• 1:41:35
  Speaker 1: includes the idea that I'm too busy for God, or
• 1:41:39
  Speaker 1: when I finally do sit with God, I get bombarded
• 1:41:43
  Speaker 1: with thoughts of all the things I need to do,
• 1:41:46
  Speaker 1: or worse still, the lie that I'm not good enough
• 1:41:51
  Speaker 1: or righteous enough to sit in God's presence. Any of
• 1:41:58
  Speaker 1: us who've experien eperienced stillness and quiet might find it
• 1:42:03
  Speaker 1: very confusing at first, because our minds start going crazy.
• 1:42:09
  Speaker 1: This has happened to me when I went through periods
• 1:42:12
  Speaker 1: of insomnia. My body would be exhausted as I lay
• 1:42:16
  Speaker 1: there in bed, but my mind would be racing like
• 1:42:20
  Speaker 1: an autumn leaf being buffeted and tossed along a rushing stream.
• 1:42:28
  Speaker 1: And slowly, as I kept inviting the Holy Spirit into
• 1:42:32
  Speaker 1: those times, his voice drowned out my own scattered thoughts
• 1:42:38
  Speaker 1: and the lies of the devil. One of his greatest
• 1:42:45
  Speaker 1: gifts to me and you is rest, he says quite
• 1:42:51
  Speaker 1: plainly in Psalm one hundred and twenty seven, verse two,
• 1:42:56
  Speaker 1: in vain you rise early and stay up late and
• 1:43:01
  Speaker 1: toiling for food to eat. For He grants sleep to
• 1:43:06
  Speaker 1: those he loves. Our sleep is a precious gift from
• 1:43:12
  Speaker 1: Him to us. Even now. Let me pray over you
• 1:43:17
  Speaker 1: as you receive his gift and enter into deeper peace.
• 1:43:25
  Speaker 1: Oh wonderful Lord and Savior, we are so thankful for
• 1:43:30
  Speaker 1: your gift of rest. How delicious quietness can be when
• 1:43:38
  Speaker 1: you calm our busy minds and bring a peace that
• 1:43:42
  Speaker 1: we can't strive. For Lord, I pray over this beloved
• 1:43:49
  Speaker 1: child of yours that you would bring deep sleep to them.
• 1:43:56
  Speaker 1: Calm their minds, protect their thoughts from all lies. Grant
• 1:44:03
  Speaker 1: them the knowledge that they can come boldly to you,
• 1:44:09
  Speaker 1: so that you can speak with them face to face
• 1:44:13
  Speaker 1: like a friend. They are your friend. They are not
• 1:44:20
  Speaker 1: worthy in and of themselves to come to you, but
• 1:44:24
  Speaker 1: Jesus has made them worthy. I pray the blood of
• 1:44:31
  Speaker 1: Jesus all over them tonight. May his blood cover their minds,
• 1:44:38
  Speaker 1: just like the blood cover the doorposts of the Israelites
• 1:44:42
  Speaker 1: when the Angel of Death passed over them. In Egypt.
• 1:44:47
  Speaker 1: Let every negative thought and lie pass over them, while
• 1:44:53
  Speaker 1: the powerful blood of Jesus Christ covers them from head
• 1:44:59
  Speaker 1: to toe inside out. Lord, they are turning to you
• 1:45:06
  Speaker 1: now as their best defense and their only source of
• 1:45:12
  Speaker 1: true rest and strength. Quiet their mind and open their
• 1:45:19
  Speaker 1: heart to what you have to say to them tonight.
• 1:45:24
  Speaker 1: That might simply be the gentle whisper of fear. Not,
• 1:45:30
  Speaker 1: for I have redeemed you, I have called you by name.
• 1:45:37
  Speaker 1: You are mine. Ah, What extraordinary words whisper them again
• 1:45:48
  Speaker 1: and again to this beloved child of yours Father. Let
• 1:45:52
  Speaker 1: it sink into their hearts so deeply that it becomes
• 1:45:58
  Speaker 1: their internal script. We love you and we trust. Dear Lord.
• 1:46:08
  Speaker 1: We don't have enough years in this life to adequately
• 1:46:12
  Speaker 1: thank you and praise you. But you see our hearts
• 1:46:18
  Speaker 1: and your son's name, the beautiful name of Jesus. We
• 1:46:23
  Speaker 1: pray this prayer. Amen. When I think of quietness and trust,
• 1:46:32
  Speaker 1: I often think of the Kiwi bird, which is native
• 1:46:36
  Speaker 1: to my homeland of New Zealand. It's found nowhere else
• 1:46:41
  Speaker 1: in the world, and that's a good thing. Every other
• 1:46:45
  Speaker 1: country has predators that would long have made it extinct.
• 1:46:51
  Speaker 1: New Zealand doesn't have many native predators for the kiwi
• 1:46:55
  Speaker 1: let alone, even many mammals at all. So it has
• 1:46:59
  Speaker 1: been a safe homeland for the bird, that is the
• 1:47:03
  Speaker 1: goodness of God. In the colonial period, however, about two
• 1:47:11
  Speaker 1: centuries ago, stoats, weasels and rats were introduced on the
• 1:47:17
  Speaker 1: ships from Europe. They now pose a major threat to
• 1:47:21
  Speaker 1: the kiwi as dangerous predators, but otherwise the Kiwi bird
• 1:47:28
  Speaker 1: lives mostly at peace in the protected areas of native
• 1:47:32
  Speaker 1: forest and national parks. The Kiwi is a shy nocturnal
• 1:47:41
  Speaker 1: bird and the population in New Zealand is very small. Therefore,
• 1:47:47
  Speaker 1: they are currently a threatened species. They are small and flightless,
• 1:47:53
  Speaker 1: which makes them vulnerable as they forage for food and
• 1:47:56
  Speaker 1: raise their young on the forest floor. God has given
• 1:48:01
  Speaker 1: them a greater chance for survival by designing them to
• 1:48:04
  Speaker 1: mainly come out at night. He knew that would give
• 1:48:09
  Speaker 1: them somewhat of a defense against predators. Tonight, I will
• 1:48:16
  Speaker 1: guide you on a nighttime stroll through one of the
• 1:48:20
  Speaker 1: national park areas on Stuart Island, a small conservation area
• 1:48:25
  Speaker 1: located just south of New Zealand's South Island, seemingly not
• 1:48:30
  Speaker 1: much more than a stone's throw from Antarctica. The sky
• 1:48:37
  Speaker 1: is clear on this particular night. The moon is full
• 1:48:42
  Speaker 1: and it lights the sky with the notes of pale blue.
• 1:48:48
  Speaker 1: The lush New Zealand forest is dense like the Amazon rainforest,
• 1:48:55
  Speaker 1: and the floor is covered in soft pine needles and
• 1:49:00
  Speaker 1: a carpet of drying red and brown leaves. The lamp
• 1:49:07
  Speaker 1: of the moon's light is streaming down through the leaves
• 1:49:12
  Speaker 1: and luminous shards along the ground, so I can make
• 1:49:16
  Speaker 1: my way without the need of a headlamp. The natural
• 1:49:22
  Speaker 1: light is blissful to my eyes as they adjust to
• 1:49:25
  Speaker 1: the dark. The sound of night in the forest is
• 1:49:33
  Speaker 1: mostly silence. There are a few insects that are singing
• 1:49:38
  Speaker 1: their songs, but only faintly here and there. It is
• 1:49:44
  Speaker 1: so peaceful. The rustles I hear now and then are
• 1:49:51
  Speaker 1: simply dead twigs and leaves falling to the ground. This
• 1:49:58
  Speaker 1: place is so safe, it's truly a sanctuary of nature.
• 1:50:05
  Speaker 1: My hope is to catch sight of a kiwi tonight,
• 1:50:09
  Speaker 1: but they are very timid creatures and almost noiseless. They
• 1:50:15
  Speaker 1: have kept themselves from harm by not making a sound,
• 1:50:20
  Speaker 1: even on the crunchy forest floor. I gaze up through
• 1:50:26
  Speaker 1: the canopy and see the stars glorious. Perhaps I'll just
• 1:50:35
  Speaker 1: sit down here on this soft clearing and watch the stars.
• 1:50:41
  Speaker 1: Who knows, Maybe a kiwi will feel safe and come
• 1:50:45
  Speaker 1: out eventually. They are hiding out of God given instinctual
• 1:50:52
  Speaker 1: wisdom rather than fear. But maybe they will feel safe
• 1:50:57
  Speaker 1: if they smell I'm here, but have nolisious intent. Their
• 1:51:03
  Speaker 1: sense of smell is very sensitive and highly developed, which
• 1:51:08
  Speaker 1: is unique for a bird, so they certainly know I'm here.
• 1:51:15
  Speaker 1: Sitting on the soft ground feels very good. I've been
• 1:51:21
  Speaker 1: walking for a while to get this deep into the forest,
• 1:51:25
  Speaker 1: and I desire rest. I could easily fall asleep here
• 1:51:31
  Speaker 1: if I'm not careful. It's so comfortable, and the sparkly
• 1:51:38
  Speaker 1: stars are truly magnificent somehow not only delicate and dainty
• 1:51:46
  Speaker 1: sequins on a silky black backdrop, but also I know
• 1:51:52
  Speaker 1: they are humongous celestial bodies of blazing fire and gas
• 1:51:58
  Speaker 1: emitsing volcanic explosions which cause those twinkles. God's craftsmanship, both
• 1:52:09
  Speaker 1: up in the heavens and down here on earth, cannot
• 1:52:14
  Speaker 1: be praised too much. It continues to give me awe
• 1:52:20
  Speaker 1: and wonder. This quiet rest here fills me with trust
• 1:52:28
  Speaker 1: and faith in him, a small person in the hands
• 1:52:33
  Speaker 1: of a great God, an infinitely loving God. Under the
• 1:52:41
  Speaker 1: starry night. I am even now turning to him again
• 1:52:47
  Speaker 1: and resting in him. I recall Isaiah thirty verse fifteen.
• 1:52:54
  Speaker 1: This is what the Sovereign Lord, the Holy One of Israel, says.
• 1:53:02
  Speaker 1: Only in returning to me and resting in me will
• 1:53:07
  Speaker 1: you be saved and quietness and confidence as your strength.
• 1:53:15
  Speaker 1: I am resting in him. He is my only true
• 1:53:21
  Speaker 1: deep rest. I can rest in him even in the
• 1:53:27
  Speaker 1: face of fear. He hasn't given me a spirit of fear.
• 1:53:33
  Speaker 1: He has given me a spirit full of trust. Trust
• 1:53:38
  Speaker 1: in him, and the effect of righteousness will be peace,
• 1:53:45
  Speaker 1: and the result of righteousness quietness and trust. Forever. I
• 1:53:56
  Speaker 1: am coming to him to rest and receipt leave his righteousness,
• 1:54:02
  Speaker 1: which produces quietness and trust. It certainly reminds me of
• 1:54:09
  Speaker 1: the Kiwi living a life under the stars in quietness
• 1:54:14
  Speaker 1: and stillness, courageously coming out of hiding every night to
• 1:54:20
  Speaker 1: find nourishment, and in finding nourishment finding strength again. For me,
• 1:54:32
  Speaker 1: this points to Jesus. He is the bread of life,
• 1:54:39
  Speaker 1: and his word is our true nourishment. And both his
• 1:54:44
  Speaker 1: presence and his word give us life and the ability
• 1:54:50
  Speaker 1: to trust in him. His quietness is such a gift.
• 1:54:57
  Speaker 1: Here on this island, away from the hustle and bustle,
• 1:55:03
  Speaker 1: and away from civilization, all is calm. The questions and
• 1:55:11
  Speaker 1: the wrestling I have during the day are stilled and quieted.
• 1:55:19
  Speaker 1: This reminds me of the words of childlike trust that
• 1:55:23
  Speaker 1: King David penned in some one hundred and thirty one,
• 1:55:28
  Speaker 1: Oh Eternal One. My heart is not occupied with proud thoughts.
• 1:55:35
  Speaker 1: My eyes do not look down on others. I don't
• 1:55:39
  Speaker 1: even begin to get involved in matters too big, matters
• 1:55:44
  Speaker 1: of faith, state, business, or the many things that defy
• 1:55:50
  Speaker 1: my ability to understand them. Of one thing, I am certain,
• 1:55:57
  Speaker 1: my soul has become calm, quiet and contented in you,
• 1:56:06
  Speaker 1: like a weaned child resting upon his mother. I am quiet.
• 1:56:13
  Speaker 1: My soul is like a weaned child. Oh Israel, stake
• 1:56:21
  Speaker 1: your trust completely in the eternal, from this very moment
• 1:56:29
  Speaker 1: and into the vast future. What tonic those words are,
• 1:56:36
  Speaker 1: What a soothing bomb to my soul. There is a
• 1:56:41
  Speaker 1: bomb in Gilead, and his name is Jesus. May we
• 1:56:49
  Speaker 1: all be able to inhabit that truth and practice it
• 1:56:54
  Speaker 1: even during the busy day and during the confusing night seasons,
• 1:57:00
  Speaker 1: when we are apt to wrestle with God and come
• 1:57:04
  Speaker 1: with our questions. As I rest here, my questions and
• 1:57:12
  Speaker 1: confusions fade. They fade away into the forest dim What
• 1:57:20
  Speaker 1: I can't see I can't see, and that's okay. As
• 1:57:27
  Speaker 1: a small child in the Lord's arms, I can come
• 1:57:32
  Speaker 1: to peace with mystery. His ways are far above my ways.
• 1:57:40
  Speaker 1: I can simply sit here and breathe in the cool
• 1:57:45
  Speaker 1: night air. It's the purest air I've breathed in many
• 1:57:51
  Speaker 1: a long day. But there I think I can hear
• 1:57:59
  Speaker 1: a gentle peeping noise and a soft footed rustling. I
• 1:58:05
  Speaker 1: sha'n't turn on my flashlight because it would frighten the
• 1:58:08
  Speaker 1: tender little kiwi while it's seeking dinner. My eyes have
• 1:58:14
  Speaker 1: adjusted more to my surroundings, and the moonlight is illuminating
• 1:58:19
  Speaker 1: the forest beautifully. Lo and behold, I can see the
• 1:58:27
  Speaker 1: cute brown kiwi. It's carefully and gingerly stepping on the
• 1:58:34
  Speaker 1: leafy carpet, using its very long and delicate beak to
• 1:58:40
  Speaker 1: forage for worms and grubs. It doesn't seem bothered by me.
• 1:58:47
  Speaker 1: It's coming closer, so perhaps it senses that I mean
• 1:58:51
  Speaker 1: no harm. I have simply come to visit it in
• 1:58:55
  Speaker 1: its home and learn more about my relationship with God
• 1:59:00
  Speaker 1: by observing it. It's innocently trusting and getting on with
• 1:59:06
  Speaker 1: its God made purpose. That is very good for me
• 1:59:12
  Speaker 1: to learn too. In fact, even Paul gives this advice
• 1:59:17
  Speaker 1: in First Thessalonians four eleven. And make it your goal
• 1:59:23
  Speaker 1: to lead a peaceful life. Mind your own business and
• 1:59:29
  Speaker 1: keep your hands busy in your work, as we have
• 1:59:32
  Speaker 1: instructed you. This kiwi is minding its own business, doing
• 1:59:39
  Speaker 1: what God is calling it to do, and thus it's
• 1:59:44
  Speaker 1: cultivating a life of peace and quiet. We could all
• 1:59:49
  Speaker 1: avoid much pain and turmoil if we did what God
• 1:59:54
  Speaker 1: put in front of us and obeyed him in trust
• 1:59:58
  Speaker 1: and simplicity. Sitting here on the forest floor watching this innocent,
• 2:00:06
  Speaker 1: little flightless bird, I feel like I'm doing what I
• 2:00:11
  Speaker 1: was made to do, resting in the gentle and sweet
• 2:00:17
  Speaker 1: presence of the Holy Spirit, enjoying the majesty of the
• 2:00:23
  Speaker 1: almighty creator God. Surely that is what we are called into.
• 2:00:32
  Speaker 1: Quietness and simplicity and trust and a life of rest
• 2:00:40
  Speaker 1: and peace and believing in Him. I invite you, precious listener,
• 2:00:50
  Speaker 1: to remain in the peaceful forest and enjoy the sights
• 2:00:55
  Speaker 1: and sounds. Continue watching this demure little Kiwi foraging for worms,
• 2:01:04
  Speaker 1: and let sleep bring rest to your soul. Let me
• 2:01:12
  Speaker 1: pray over you one final time in the words of
• 2:01:16
  Speaker 1: Romans fifteen thirteen. I pray that God, the source of hope,
• 2:01:25
  Speaker 1: will fill you completely with joy and peace. Because you
• 2:01:30
  Speaker 1: trust in Him. Then you will overflow with confident hope
• 2:01:37
  Speaker 1: through the power of the Holy Spirit and Precious One.
• 2:01:43
  Speaker 1: May you return to the Lord day after day and
• 2:01:48
  Speaker 1: find rest in him. May you bring him your questions
• 2:01:53
  Speaker 1: and wrestle during the night seasons, but find his blessing
• 2:01:57
  Speaker 1: greets you at break of dawn. May trust in Him
• 2:02:04
  Speaker 1: give you strength every hour as you walk with Him
• 2:02:08
  Speaker 1: through this life. And the precious name of Jesus Amen,
• 2:02:17
  Speaker 1: as you sleep, receive the truth that repentance and rest
• 2:02:24
  Speaker 1: are your salvation, and quietness and trust are your strength.
• 2:02:33
  Speaker 1: Let's listen again to this sleep story about quietness and trust.
• 2:02:41
  Speaker 1: The night seasons in my life have been seasons of wrestling.
• 2:02:46
  Speaker 1: I have wrestled with the Lord like Jacob wrestled all
• 2:02:49
  Speaker 1: through the night at Pennial. In my night seasons, I
• 2:02:54
  Speaker 1: have grappled with God and have come with much of
• 2:02:59
  Speaker 1: my confusion and questions, Why God has this happened in
• 2:03:03
  Speaker 1: this way? Or why has that happened to my loved
• 2:03:08
  Speaker 1: one in that way? Let me encourage you, dear listener.
• 2:03:15
  Speaker 1: I have realized more deeply through each night season that
• 2:03:20
  Speaker 1: our Papa God is big enough to take anything we
• 2:03:24
  Speaker 1: bring to him. He showed me that He really wanted
• 2:03:30
  Speaker 1: me to present to him all my questions, especially from
• 2:03:36
  Speaker 1: my hard and painful experiences. If you've ever met a
• 2:03:42
  Speaker 1: small child, a word often on their lips is why.
• 2:03:48
  Speaker 1: It's childlike to ask him why. But it's trusting to
• 2:03:53
  Speaker 1: be okay with mystery when he says that he may
• 2:03:56
  Speaker 1: not tell us the full reasons why and till the
• 2:04:00
  Speaker 1: eternal life to come. What I learned and am still learning,
• 2:04:08
  Speaker 1: is that it's far better to tussle with my Papa
• 2:04:11
  Speaker 1: God than to back away in confusion and give him
• 2:04:16
  Speaker 1: the silent treatment. I work intentionally on keeping my heart
• 2:04:21
  Speaker 1: as soft as I can toward him and learning to
• 2:04:26
  Speaker 1: be content with mystery. Sometimes I repeat to myself many times,
• 2:04:35
  Speaker 1: he is God and I am not, and I can't
• 2:04:42
  Speaker 1: God can I think I'll let him in my journey
• 2:04:49
  Speaker 1: to quietness and trust, I have learned there is a
• 2:04:53
  Speaker 1: time to talk and a time to be silent. When
• 2:04:59
  Speaker 1: I I share everything I have on my heart with Jesus,
• 2:05:04
  Speaker 1: I can be still and quiet, And that's very different
• 2:05:09
  Speaker 1: from a stony hearted silent treatment. It's a contented stillness.
• 2:05:19
  Speaker 1: It's when I know I've said my peace, so now
• 2:05:22
  Speaker 1: I can be at peace. And in the quietness. I
• 2:05:30
  Speaker 1: sometimes feel his presence tangibly, and sometimes I don't, but
• 2:05:36
  Speaker 1: I know he's there, And when I leave, I know
• 2:05:41
  Speaker 1: he has heard the deepest groanings of my heart that
• 2:05:45
  Speaker 1: I haven't even known how to utter. He hears even
• 2:05:51
  Speaker 1: our unspoken prayers. How awesome he is. He truly inspired
• 2:06:00
  Speaker 1: our awe and wonder. Sometimes I've sat in stillness with
• 2:06:08
  Speaker 1: him and a few tears spring to my eyes and
• 2:06:12
  Speaker 1: I'm not sure why. Then later I realize that was
• 2:06:18
  Speaker 1: the Holy Spirit coming and softening my heart and touching
• 2:06:24
  Speaker 1: my pain and just letting it out, not too much
• 2:06:30
  Speaker 1: and not all at once, just as much as I
• 2:06:34
  Speaker 1: can handle. And those moments, even when they have been brief,
• 2:06:41
  Speaker 1: have opened the eyes of my heart more to his
• 2:06:44
  Speaker 1: gentleness and have kept my questions from hardening my heart.
• 2:06:53
  Speaker 1: Allow me to read our scripture from my as I
• 2:06:56
  Speaker 1: thirty verse fifteen, and perhaps you will experience your heart's
• 2:07:01
  Speaker 1: softening even as you hear the words of the Lord himself.
• 2:07:08
  Speaker 1: This is what the Sovereign Lord, the Holy One of Israel, says.
• 2:07:16
  Speaker 1: In Repentance and rest is your salvation. In quietness and
• 2:07:23
  Speaker 1: trust is your strength. God obviously had this message on
• 2:07:29
  Speaker 1: his heart so much that he spoke through Isaiah again
• 2:07:34
  Speaker 1: two chapters later in verse seventeen, when he said, and
• 2:07:39
  Speaker 1: the effect of righteousness will be peace, and the result
• 2:07:45
  Speaker 1: of righteousness quietness and trust. Forever. This beautiful connection between
• 2:07:54
  Speaker 1: quietness and trust is being reaffirmed for us, and it's
• 2:08:00
  Speaker 1: needed for the ancient Israelites, as it is needed for
• 2:08:03
  Speaker 1: my own personal life as well as yours. Every day
• 2:08:10
  Speaker 1: the devil comes out with his old arsenal of distractions
• 2:08:14
  Speaker 1: and is well thumbed script of lies. For me, it
• 2:08:19
  Speaker 1: always includes the idea that I'm too busy for God,
• 2:08:23
  Speaker 1: or when I finally do sit with God, I get
• 2:08:27
  Speaker 1: bombarded with thoughts of all the things I need to do,
• 2:08:31
  Speaker 1: or worse still, the lie that I'm not good enough
• 2:08:36
  Speaker 1: or righteous enough to sit in God's presence. Any of
• 2:08:43
  Speaker 1: us who have experienced stillness and quiet might find it
• 2:08:48
  Speaker 1: very confusing at first, because our minds start going crazy.
• 2:08:54
  Speaker 1: This has happened to me when I went through periods
• 2:08:57
  Speaker 1: of insomnia. My body would be exhausted as I lay
• 2:09:01
  Speaker 1: there in bed, but my mind would be racing, like
• 2:09:05
  Speaker 1: an autumn leaf being buffeted and tossed along a rushing stream.
• 2:09:13
  Speaker 1: And slowly, as I kept inviting the Holy Spirit into
• 2:09:17
  Speaker 1: those times, his voice drowned out my own scattered thoughts
• 2:09:23
  Speaker 1: and the lies of the devil. One of his greatest
• 2:09:30
  Speaker 1: gifts to me and you is rest, he says quite
• 2:09:36
  Speaker 1: plainly in Psalm one hundred and twenty seven, verse two.
• 2:09:41
  Speaker 1: In vain, you rise early and stay up late, toiling
• 2:09:46
  Speaker 1: for food to eat. For He grants sleep to those
• 2:09:52
  Speaker 1: he loves. Our sleep is a precious gift from Him
• 2:09:57
  Speaker 1: to us. Even now, let me pray over you as
• 2:10:03
  Speaker 1: you receive his gift and enter into deeper peace. Oh
• 2:10:11
  Speaker 1: wonderful Lord and Savior, we are so thankful for your
• 2:10:15
  Speaker 1: gift of rest. How delicious quietness can be when you
• 2:10:23
  Speaker 1: calm our busy minds and bring a peace that we
• 2:10:28
  Speaker 1: can't strive for. Lord, I pray over this beloved child
• 2:10:34
  Speaker 1: of yours that you would bring deep sleep to them.
• 2:10:41
  Speaker 1: Calm their minds, protect their thoughts from all lies. Grant
• 2:10:48
  Speaker 1: them the knowledge that they can come boldly to you,
• 2:10:54
  Speaker 1: so that you can speak with them face to face
• 2:10:58
  Speaker 1: like a friend. They are your friend. They are not
• 2:11:05
  Speaker 1: worthy in and of themselves to come to you, but
• 2:11:09
  Speaker 1: Jesus has made them worthy. I pray the blood of
• 2:11:16
  Speaker 1: Jesus all over them tonight. May his blood cover their minds,
• 2:11:23
  Speaker 1: just like the blood cover the doorposts of the Israelites
• 2:11:27
  Speaker 1: when the Angel of Death passed over them in Egypt.
• 2:11:32
  Speaker 1: Let every negative thought and lie pass over them, while
• 2:11:38
  Speaker 1: the powerful blood of Jesus Christ covers them from head
• 2:11:44
  Speaker 1: to toe inside out. Lord, they are turning to you
• 2:11:51
  Speaker 1: now as their best defense and their only source of
• 2:11:57
  Speaker 1: true rest and strength. Quiet their mind and open their
• 2:12:04
  Speaker 1: heart to what you have to say to them tonight.
• 2:12:09
  Speaker 1: That might simply be the gentle whisper of fear. Not,
• 2:12:15
  Speaker 1: for I have redeemed you, I have called you by name.
• 2:12:22
  Speaker 1: You are mine. Ah, What extraordinary words whisper them again
• 2:12:32
  Speaker 1: and again to this beloved child of yours. Father, Let
• 2:12:37
  Speaker 1: it sink into their hearts so deeply that it becomes
• 2:12:43
  Speaker 1: their internal script. We love you and we trust. Dear Lord.
• 2:12:53
  Speaker 1: We don't have enough years in this life to adequately
• 2:12:57
  Speaker 1: thank you and praise you, but you see our hearts
• 2:13:03
  Speaker 1: in your Son's name, the beautiful name of Jesus. We
• 2:13:08
  Speaker 1: pray this prayer. Amen. When I think of quietness and trust,
• 2:13:17
  Speaker 1: I often think of the Kiwi bird, which is native
• 2:13:21
  Speaker 1: to my homeland of New Zealand. It's found nowhere else
• 2:13:26
  Speaker 1: in the world, and that's a good thing. Every other
• 2:13:30
  Speaker 1: country has predators that would long have made it extinct.
• 2:13:36
  Speaker 1: New Zealand doesn't have many native predators for the kiwi,
• 2:13:40
  Speaker 1: let alone even many mammals at all, so it has
• 2:13:44
  Speaker 1: been a safe homeland for the bird. That is the
• 2:13:48
  Speaker 1: goodness of God. In the colonial period, however, about two
• 2:13:56
  Speaker 1: centuries ago, stoats, weasels and rats were introduced on the
• 2:14:02
  Speaker 1: ships from Europe. They now pose a major threat to
• 2:14:06
  Speaker 1: the kiwi as dangerous predators, but otherwise the Kiwi bird
• 2:14:13
  Speaker 1: lives mostly at peace in the protected areas of native
• 2:14:17
  Speaker 1: forest and national parks. The Kiwi is a shy nocturnal
• 2:14:26
  Speaker 1: bird and the population in New Zealand is very small.
• 2:14:31
  Speaker 1: Therefore they are currently a threatened species. They are small
• 2:14:36
  Speaker 1: and flightless, which makes them vulnerable as they forage for
• 2:14:40
  Speaker 1: food and raise their young on the forest floor. God
• 2:14:45
  Speaker 1: has given them a greater chance for survival by designing
• 2:14:49
  Speaker 1: them to mainly come out at night. He knew that
• 2:14:53
  Speaker 1: would give them somewhat of a defense against predators. Tonight,
• 2:15:01
  Speaker 1: I will guide you on a nighttime stroll through one
• 2:15:04
  Speaker 1: of the National Park areas on Stuart Island, a small
• 2:15:09
  Speaker 1: conservation area located just south of New Zealand's South Island,
• 2:15:14
  Speaker 1: seemingly not much more than a stone's throw from Antarctica.
• 2:15:21
  Speaker 1: The sky is clear on this particular night. The moon
• 2:15:26
  Speaker 1: is full and it lights the sky with the notes
• 2:15:30
  Speaker 1: of pale blue. The lush New Zealand forest is dense
• 2:15:38
  Speaker 1: like the Amazon rainforest, and the floor is covered in
• 2:15:42
  Speaker 1: soft pine needles and a carpet of drying red and
• 2:15:47
  Speaker 1: brown leaves. The lamp of the moon's light is streaming
• 2:15:54
  Speaker 1: down through the leaves in luminous shards along the ground,
• 2:16:00
  Speaker 1: so I can make my way without the need of
• 2:16:03
  Speaker 1: a head lamp. The natural light as blissful to my
• 2:16:09
  Speaker 1: eyes as they ad just to the dark. The sound
• 2:16:15
  Speaker 1: of night in the forest is mostly silence. There are
• 2:16:21
  Speaker 1: a few insects that are singing their songs, but only faintly.
• 2:16:26
  Speaker 1: Here and there. It is so peaceful. The rustles I
• 2:16:34
  Speaker 1: hear now and then are simply dead twigs and leaves
• 2:16:38
  Speaker 1: falling to the ground. This place is so safe, it's
• 2:16:46
  Speaker 1: truly a sanctuary of nature. My hope is to catch
• 2:16:51
  Speaker 1: sight of a kiwi tonight, but they are very timid
• 2:16:55
  Speaker 1: creatures and almost noiseless. They have kept themselves from harm
• 2:17:02
  Speaker 1: by not making a sound, even on the crunchy forest floor.
• 2:17:10
  Speaker 1: I gaze up through the canopy and see the stars glorious.
• 2:17:19
  Speaker 1: Perhaps I'll just sit down here on this soft clearing
• 2:17:23
  Speaker 1: and watch the stars. Who knows, Maybe a key we
• 2:17:28
  Speaker 1: will feel safe and come out eventually. They are hiding
• 2:17:35
  Speaker 1: out of God given instinctual wisdom rather than fear. But
• 2:17:40
  Speaker 1: maybe they will feel safe if they smell I'm here,
• 2:17:44
  Speaker 1: but have no malicious intent. Their sense of smell is
• 2:17:49
  Speaker 1: very sensitive and highly developed, which is unique for a bird,
• 2:17:55
  Speaker 1: so they certainly know I'm here. Sitting on the soft
• 2:18:02
  Speaker 1: ground feels very good. I've been walking for a while
• 2:18:08
  Speaker 1: to get this steep into the forest, and I desire rest.
• 2:18:14
  Speaker 1: I could easily fall asleep here if I'm not careful.
• 2:18:19
  Speaker 1: It's so comfortable, and the sparkly stars are truly magnificent,
• 2:18:27
  Speaker 1: somehow not only delicate and dainty sequins on a silky
• 2:18:33
  Speaker 1: black backdrop, but also I know they are humongous celestial
• 2:18:40
  Speaker 1: bodies of blazing fire and gas emitting volcanic explosions which
• 2:18:46
  Speaker 1: cause those twinkles. God's craftsmanship, both up in the heavens
• 2:18:56
  Speaker 1: and down here on earth, cannot be preyed to too much.
• 2:19:02
  Speaker 1: It continues to give me awe and wonder. This quiet
• 2:19:09
  Speaker 1: rest here fills me with trust and faith in him,
• 2:19:15
  Speaker 1: A small person in the hands of a great God,
• 2:19:21
  Speaker 1: an infinitely loving God. Under the starry night. I am
• 2:19:29
  Speaker 1: even now turning to him again and resting in him.
• 2:19:35
  Speaker 1: I recall Isaiah thirty verse fifteen. This is what the
• 2:19:41
  Speaker 1: Sovereign Lord, the Holy One of Israel, says. Only in
• 2:19:48
  Speaker 1: returning to me and resting in me will you be
• 2:19:53
  Speaker 1: saved and quietness and confidence as your strength. I am
• 2:20:01
  Speaker 1: resting in him. He is my only true deep rest.
• 2:20:09
  Speaker 1: I can rest in him even in the face of fear.
• 2:20:14
  Speaker 1: He hasn't given me a spirit of fear. He has
• 2:20:18
  Speaker 1: given me a spirit full of trust trust in him,
• 2:20:25
  Speaker 1: and the effect of righteousness will be peace, and the
• 2:20:30
  Speaker 1: result of righteousness quietness and trust. Forever I am coming
• 2:20:42
  Speaker 1: to him to rest and receive his righteousness, which produces
• 2:20:49
  Speaker 1: quietness and trust. It certainly reminds me of the Kiwi
• 2:20:55
  Speaker 1: living a life under the stars and quietness and stillness,
• 2:21:02
  Speaker 1: courageously coming out of hiding every night to find nourishment,
• 2:21:08
  Speaker 1: and in finding nourishment finding strength again. For me, this
• 2:21:18
  Speaker 1: points to Jesus. He is the bread of life, and
• 2:21:24
  Speaker 1: his word is our true nourishment. And both his presence
• 2:21:30
  Speaker 1: and his word give us life and the ability to
• 2:21:35
  Speaker 1: trust in him. His quietness is such a gift. Here
• 2:21:43
  Speaker 1: on this island, away from the hustle and bustle, and
• 2:21:49
  Speaker 1: away from civilization, all is calm. The questions and the
• 2:21:56
  Speaker 1: wrestling I have during the day are stilled and quieted.
• 2:22:04
  Speaker 1: This reminds me of the words of childlike trust that
• 2:22:08
  Speaker 1: King David penned in Some one hundred and thirty one,
• 2:22:13
  Speaker 1: oh Eternal One. My heart is not occupied with proud thoughts.
• 2:22:20
  Speaker 1: My eyes do not look down on others. I don't
• 2:22:24
  Speaker 1: even begin to get involved in matters too big, matters
• 2:22:29
  Speaker 1: of faith, state, business, or the many things that defy
• 2:22:35
  Speaker 1: my ability to understand them. Of one thing, I am
• 2:22:40
  Speaker 1: certain my soul has become calm, quiet and contented in you,
• 2:22:51
  Speaker 1: like a weaned child resting upon his mother. I am quiet,
• 2:22:58
  Speaker 1: My soul is like a weaned child. Oh Israel, stake
• 2:23:06
  Speaker 1: your trust completely in the eternal from this very moment
• 2:23:14
  Speaker 1: and into the vast future. What tonic those words are.
• 2:23:21
  Speaker 1: What a soothing bomb to my soul. There is a
• 2:23:26
  Speaker 1: bomb in Gilead, and his name is Jesus. May we
• 2:23:34
  Speaker 1: all be able to inhabit that truth and practice it
• 2:23:39
  Speaker 1: even during the busy day and during the confusing night seasons,
• 2:23:45
  Speaker 1: when we are apt to wrestle with God and come
• 2:23:49
  Speaker 1: with our questions. As I rest here, my questions and
• 2:23:57
  Speaker 1: confusions fade, they fade away into the forest dim. What
• 2:24:05
  Speaker 1: I can't see I can't see, and that's okay. As
• 2:24:12
  Speaker 1: a small child in the Lord's arms, I can come
• 2:24:17
  Speaker 1: to peace with mystery. His ways are far above my ways.
• 2:24:25
  Speaker 1: I can simply sit here and breathe in the cool
• 2:24:30
  Speaker 1: night air. It's the purest air I've breathed in many
• 2:24:36
  Speaker 1: a long day. But there I think I can hear
• 2:24:44
  Speaker 1: a gentle peeping noise and a soft footed rustling. I
• 2:24:50
  Speaker 1: shan't turn on my flashlight because it would frighten the
• 2:24:53
  Speaker 1: tender little kiwi while it's seeking dinner. My eyes have
• 2:24:59
  Speaker 1: adjusted more to my surroundings, and the moonlight is illuminating
• 2:25:04
  Speaker 1: the forest beautifully. Lo and behold, I can see the
• 2:25:12
  Speaker 1: cute brown kiwi. It's carefully and gingerly stepping on the
• 2:25:19
  Speaker 1: leafy carpet, using its very long and delicate beak to
• 2:25:25
  Speaker 1: forage for worms and grubs. It doesn't seem bothered by me.
• 2:25:32
  Speaker 1: It's coming closer, so perhaps it senses that I mean
• 2:25:36
  Speaker 1: no harm. I have simply come to visit it in
• 2:25:40
  Speaker 1: its home and learn more about my relationship with God
• 2:25:45
  Speaker 1: by observing it. It's innocently trusting and getting on with
• 2:25:51
  Speaker 1: its God made purpose. That is very good for me
• 2:25:57
  Speaker 1: to learn too. In fact, even Paul gives this advice
• 2:26:02
  Speaker 1: in First Thessalonians four eleven. And make it your goal
• 2:26:08
  Speaker 1: to lead a peaceful life. Mind your own business, and
• 2:26:14
  Speaker 1: keep your hands busy in your work, as we have
• 2:26:17
  Speaker 1: instructed you. This kiwi is minding its own business, doing
• 2:26:24
  Speaker 1: what God is calling it to do, and thus it's
• 2:26:29
  Speaker 1: cultivating a life of peace and quiet. We could all
• 2:26:34
  Speaker 1: avoid much pain and turmoil if we did what God
• 2:26:39
  Speaker 1: put in front of us and obeyed him in trust
• 2:26:43
  Speaker 1: and simplicity. Sitting here on the forest floor, watching this innocent,
• 2:26:51
  Speaker 1: little flightless bird, I feel like I'm doing what I
• 2:26:56
  Speaker 1: was made to do, resting in the gentle and sweet
• 2:27:02
  Speaker 1: presence of the Holy Spirit, enjoying the majesty of the
• 2:27:08
  Speaker 1: almighty Creator God. Surely that is what we are called into.
• 2:27:17
  Speaker 1: Quietness and simplicity and trust and a life of rest
• 2:27:25
  Speaker 1: and peace and believing in Him. I invite you, precious listener,
• 2:27:35
  Speaker 1: to remain in the peaceful forest and enjoy the sights
• 2:27:40
  Speaker 1: and sounds. Continue watching this demure little kiwi foraging for worms,
• 2:27:49
  Speaker 1: and let sleep bring rest to your soul. Let me
• 2:27:57
  Speaker 1: pray over you one final time in the words of
• 2:28:01
  Speaker 1: Romans fifteen thirteen. I pray that God, the source of hope,
• 2:28:10
  Speaker 1: will fill you completely with joy and peace. Because you
• 2:28:15
  Speaker 1: trust in Him. Then you will overflow with confident hope
• 2:28:22
  Speaker 1: through the power of the Holy Spirit. And Precious one,
• 2:28:28
  Speaker 1: May you return to the Lord day after day and
• 2:28:32
  Speaker 1: find rest in him. May you bring him your questions
• 2:28:38
  Speaker 1: and wrestle during the night seasons, but find his blessing
• 2:28:42
  Speaker 1: greets you at break of dawn. May trust in Him
• 2:28:49
  Speaker 1: give you strength every hour as you walk with Him
• 2:28:53
  Speaker 1: through this life and the precious name of Jesus. Amen,
• 2:29:02
  Speaker 1: as you sleep, receive the truth that repentance and rest
• 2:29:09
  Speaker 1: are your salvation, and quietness and trust are your strength.
• 2:29:18
  Speaker 1: Let's listen again to this sleep story about quietness and trust.
• 2:29:26
  Speaker 1: The night seasons in my life have been seasons of wrestling.
• 2:29:31
  Speaker 1: I have wrestled with the Lord like Jacob wrestled all
• 2:29:34
  Speaker 1: through the night at Pennial. In my night seasons, I
• 2:29:40
  Speaker 1: have grappled with God and have come with much of
• 2:29:44
  Speaker 1: my confusion and questions, Why God has this happened in
• 2:29:49
  Speaker 1: this way? Or why has that happened to my loved
• 2:29:53
  Speaker 1: one in that way? Let me encourage you, dear listener.
• 2:30:00
  Speaker 1: I have realized more deeply through each night season that
• 2:30:05
  Speaker 1: our Papa God is big enough to take anything we
• 2:30:10
  Speaker 1: bring to him. He showed me that He really wanted
• 2:30:15
  Speaker 1: me to present to him all my questions, especially from
• 2:30:21
  Speaker 1: my hard and painful experiences. If you've ever met a
• 2:30:27
  Speaker 1: small child, a word often on their lips is why.
• 2:30:33
  Speaker 1: It's childlike to ask him why, but it's trusting to
• 2:30:38
  Speaker 1: be okay with Mystery when he says that he may
• 2:30:41
  Speaker 1: not tell us the full reasons why until the eternal
• 2:30:45
  Speaker 1: life to come. What I learned and am still learning,
• 2:30:53
  Speaker 1: is that it's far better to tussle with my Papa
• 2:30:56
  Speaker 1: God than to back away in confusion and give him
• 2:31:01
  Speaker 1: the silent treatment. I work intentionally on keeping my heart
• 2:31:06
  Speaker 1: as soft as I can toward him and learning to
• 2:31:11
  Speaker 1: be content with Mystery. Sometimes I repeat to myself many times,
• 2:31:20
  Speaker 1: he is God and I am not, and I can't
• 2:31:27
  Speaker 1: God can. I think I'll let him. In my journey
• 2:31:34
  Speaker 1: to quietness and trust, I have learned there is a
• 2:31:38
  Speaker 1: time to talk and a time to be silent. When
• 2:31:44
  Speaker 1: I share everything I have on my heart with Jesus,
• 2:31:49
  Speaker 1: I can be still and quiet. And that's very different
• 2:31:54
  Speaker 1: from a stony hearted silent treatment. It's a contentus ted stillness.
• 2:32:04
  Speaker 1: It's when I know I've said my peace, so now
• 2:32:07
  Speaker 1: I can be at peace and in the quietness. I
• 2:32:15
  Speaker 1: sometimes feel his presence tangibly, and sometimes I don't, but
• 2:32:21
  Speaker 1: I know he's there, and when I leave, I know
• 2:32:26
  Speaker 1: he has heard the deepest groanings of my heart that
• 2:32:30
  Speaker 1: I haven't even known how to utter. He hears even
• 2:32:36
  Speaker 1: our unspoken prayers. How awesome he is. He truly inspires
• 2:32:45
  Speaker 1: our awe and wonder. Sometimes I've sat in stillness with
• 2:32:53
  Speaker 1: him and a few tears spring to my eyes, and
• 2:32:57
  Speaker 1: I'm not sure why, And later I realize that was
• 2:33:03
  Speaker 1: the Holy Spirit coming and softening my heart and touching
• 2:33:09
  Speaker 1: my pain and just letting it out, not too much
• 2:33:15
  Speaker 1: and not all at once, just as much as I
• 2:33:19
  Speaker 1: can handle. And those moments, even when they have been brief,
• 2:33:26
  Speaker 1: have opened the eyes of my heart more to his gentleness,
• 2:33:31
  Speaker 1: and have kept my questions from hardening my heart. Allow
• 2:33:38
  Speaker 1: me to read our scripture from Isaiah thirty, verse fifteen,
• 2:33:43
  Speaker 1: and perhaps you will experience your heart softening even as
• 2:33:48
  Speaker 1: you hear the words of the Lord himself. This is
• 2:33:54
  Speaker 1: what the Sovereign Lord, the Holy One of Israel, says.
• 2:34:01
  Speaker 1: In repentance and rest is your salvation. In quietness and
• 2:34:08
  Speaker 1: trust is your strength. God obviously had this message on
• 2:34:14
  Speaker 1: his heart so much that he spoke through Isaiah again
• 2:34:19
  Speaker 1: two chapters later in verse seventeen, when he said, and
• 2:34:24
  Speaker 1: the effect of righteousness will be peace, and the result
• 2:34:30
  Speaker 1: of righteousness quietness and trust forever. This beautiful connection between
• 2:34:39
  Speaker 1: quietness and trust is being reaffirmed for us, and it's
• 2:34:44
  Speaker 1: as needed for the ancient Israelites as it is needed
• 2:34:48
  Speaker 1: for my own personal life as well as yours. Every
• 2:34:54
  Speaker 1: day the devil comes out with his old arsenal of
• 2:34:58
  Speaker 1: distractions and well thumbed script of lies. For me, it
• 2:35:04
  Speaker 1: always includes the idea that I'm too busy for God,
• 2:35:08
  Speaker 1: or when I finally do sit with God, I get
• 2:35:12
  Speaker 1: bombarded with thoughts of all the things I need to do,
• 2:35:16
  Speaker 1: or worse still, the lie that I'm not good enough
• 2:35:21
  Speaker 1: or righteous enough to sit in God's presence. Any of
• 2:35:28
  Speaker 1: us who have experienced stillness and quiet might find it
• 2:35:33
  Speaker 1: very confusing at first, because our minds start going crazy.
• 2:35:39
  Speaker 1: This has happened to me when I went through periods
• 2:35:42
  Speaker 1: of insomnia. My body would be exhausted as I lay
• 2:35:46
  Speaker 1: there in bed, but my mind would be racing like
• 2:35:50
  Speaker 1: an autumn leaf being buffeted and tossed along a rushing stream.
• 2:35:58
  Speaker 1: And slowly, as I kept inviting the Holy Spirit into
• 2:36:02
  Speaker 1: those times, his voice drowned out my own scattered thoughts
• 2:36:08
  Speaker 1: and the lies of the devil. One of his greatest
• 2:36:15
  Speaker 1: gifts to me and you is rest, he says quite
• 2:36:21
  Speaker 1: plainly in Psalm one hundred and twenty seven, Verse two.
• 2:36:26
  Speaker 1: In vain, you rise early and stay up late, toiling
• 2:36:31
  Speaker 1: for food to eat. For He grants sleep to those
• 2:36:37
  Speaker 1: he loves. Our sleep is a precious gift from Him
• 2:36:42
  Speaker 1: to us. Even now. Let me pray over you as
• 2:36:48
  Speaker 1: you receive his gift and enter into deeper peace. Oh
• 2:36:56
  Speaker 1: wonderful Lord and Savior, we are so thankful for your
• 2:37:00
  Speaker 1: gift of rest. How delicious quietness can be when you
• 2:37:08
  Speaker 1: calm our busy minds and bring a peace that we
• 2:37:13
  Speaker 1: can't strive. For. Lord, I pray over this beloved child
• 2:37:19
  Speaker 1: of yours that you would bring deep sleep to them.
• 2:37:26
  Speaker 1: Calm their minds, protect their thoughts from all lies. Grant
• 2:37:33
  Speaker 1: them the knowledge that they can come boldly to you,
• 2:37:39
  Speaker 1: so that you can speak with them face to face
• 2:37:43
  Speaker 1: like a friend. They are your friend. They are not
• 2:37:50
  Speaker 1: worthy in and of themselves to come to you, but
• 2:37:54
  Speaker 1: Jesus has made them worthy. I pray the blood of
• 2:38:01
  Speaker 1: Jesus all over them tonight. May his blood cover their minds,
• 2:38:08
  Speaker 1: just like the blood cover the doorposts of the Israelites
• 2:38:12
  Speaker 1: when the Angel of Death passed over them in Egypt.
• 2:38:17
  Speaker 1: Let every negative thought and lie pass over them. While
• 2:38:23
  Speaker 1: the powerful blood of Jesus Christ covers them from head
• 2:38:29
  Speaker 1: to toe inside out. Lord, they are turning to you
• 2:38:36
  Speaker 1: now as their best defense and their only source of
• 2:38:42
  Speaker 1: true rest and strength. Quiet their mind and open their
• 2:38:49
  Speaker 1: heart to what you have to say to them tonight.
• 2:38:54
  Speaker 1: That might simply be the gentle whisper of fear. Not,
• 2:39:00
  Speaker 1: for I have redeemed you, I have called you by name.
• 2:39:07
  Speaker 1: You are mine. Ah, What extraordinary words whisper them again
• 2:39:18
  Speaker 1: and again to this beloved child of Yours Father. Let
• 2:39:22
  Speaker 1: it sink into their hearts so deeply that it becomes
• 2:39:28
  Speaker 1: their internal script. We love you and we trust your Lord.
• 2:39:38
  Speaker 1: We don't have enough years in this life to adequately
• 2:39:42
  Speaker 1: thank you and praise you, but you see our hearts
• 2:39:48
  Speaker 1: in your Son's name, the beautiful name of Jesus. We
• 2:39:53
  Speaker 1: pray this prayer Amen. When I think of quietness and trust,
• 2:40:02
  Speaker 1: I often think of the Kiwi bird, which is native
• 2:40:06
  Speaker 1: to my homeland of New Zealand. It's found nowhere else
• 2:40:11
  Speaker 1: in the world, and that's a good thing. Every other
• 2:40:15
  Speaker 1: country has predators that would long have made it extinct.
• 2:40:21
  Speaker 1: New Zealand doesn't have many native predators for the kiwi
• 2:40:25
  Speaker 1: let alone, even many mammals at all, so it has
• 2:40:29
  Speaker 1: been a safe homeland for the bird. That is the
• 2:40:33
  Speaker 1: goodness of God. In the colonial period, however, about two
• 2:40:41
  Speaker 1: centuries ago, stoats, weasels and rats were introduced on the
• 2:40:47
  Speaker 1: ships from Europe. They now pose a major threat to
• 2:40:51
  Speaker 1: the kiwi as dangerous predators, but otherwise the Kiwi bird
• 2:40:58
  Speaker 1: lives mostly at peace in the protected areas of native
• 2:41:02
  Speaker 1: forest and national parks. The Kiwi is a shy nocturnal
• 2:41:11
  Speaker 1: bird and the population in New Zealand is very small. Therefore,
• 2:41:17
  Speaker 1: they are currently a threatened species. They are small and flightless,
• 2:41:23
  Speaker 1: which makes them vulnerable as they forage for food and
• 2:41:26
  Speaker 1: raise their young on the forest floor. God has given
• 2:41:31
  Speaker 1: them a greater chance for survival by designing them to
• 2:41:34
  Speaker 1: mainly come out at night. He knew that would give
• 2:41:39
  Speaker 1: them somewhat of a defense against predators. Tonight, I will
• 2:41:46
  Speaker 1: guide you on a nighttime stroll through one of the
• 2:41:50
  Speaker 1: national park areas on Stuart Island, a small conservation area
• 2:41:55
  Speaker 1: located just south of New Zealand's South Island, seemingly not
• 2:42:00
  Speaker 1: much more than a stone's throw from Antarctica. The sky
• 2:42:07
  Speaker 1: is clear on this particular night, the moon is full,
• 2:42:12
  Speaker 1: and it lights the sky with the notes of pale blue.
• 2:42:18
  Speaker 1: The lush New Zealand forest is dense like the Amazon rainforest,
• 2:42:25
  Speaker 1: and the floor is covered in soft pine needles and
• 2:42:30
  Speaker 1: a carpet of drying red and brown leaves. The lamp
• 2:42:37
  Speaker 1: of the moon's light is streaming down through the leaves
• 2:42:42
  Speaker 1: and luminous shards along the ground, so I can make
• 2:42:46
  Speaker 1: my way without the need of a headlamp. The natural
• 2:42:52
  Speaker 1: light is blissful to my eyes as they adjust to
• 2:42:55
  Speaker 1: the dark. The sound of night in the forest is
• 2:43:03
  Speaker 1: mostly silence. There are a few insects that are singing
• 2:43:08
  Speaker 1: their songs, but only faintly here and there. It is
• 2:43:14
  Speaker 1: so peaceful. The rustles I hear now and then are
• 2:43:21
  Speaker 1: simply dead twigs and leaves falling to the ground. This
• 2:43:28
  Speaker 1: place is so safe, it's truly a sanctuary of nature.
• 2:43:35
  Speaker 1: My hope is to catch sight of a kiwi tonight,
• 2:43:39
  Speaker 1: but they are very timid creatures and almost noiseless. They
• 2:43:45
  Speaker 1: have kept themselves from harm by not making a sound,
• 2:43:50
  Speaker 1: even on the crunchy forest floor. I gaze up through
• 2:43:56
  Speaker 1: the canopy and see the stars glorious. Perhaps I'll just
• 2:44:05
  Speaker 1: sit down here on this soft clearing and watch the stars.
• 2:44:11
  Speaker 1: Who knows, Maybe a key we will feel safe and
• 2:44:15
  Speaker 1: come out eventually. They are hiding out of God given
• 2:44:21
  Speaker 1: instinctual wisdom rather than fear. But maybe they will feel
• 2:44:26
  Speaker 1: safe if they smell I'm here, but have no malicious intent.
• 2:44:32
  Speaker 1: Their sense of smell is very sensitive and highly developed,
• 2:44:37
  Speaker 1: which is unique for a bird, so they certainly know
• 2:44:41
  Speaker 1: I'm here. Sitting on the soft ground feels very good.
• 2:44:51
  Speaker 1: I've been walking for a while to get this deep
• 2:44:54
  Speaker 1: into the forest, and I desire rest. I could ease
• 2:45:00
  Speaker 1: for the sleep here if I'm not careful. It's so comfortable,
• 2:45:07
  Speaker 1: and the sparkly stars are truly magnificent somehow not only
• 2:45:14
  Speaker 1: delicate and dainty sequins on a silky black backdrop, but
• 2:45:21
  Speaker 1: also I know they are humongous celestial bodies of blazing
• 2:45:26
  Speaker 1: fire and gas emitsing volcanic explosions which cause those twinkles.
• 2:45:36
  Speaker 1: God's craftsmanship, both up in the heavens and down here
• 2:45:42
  Speaker 1: on earth, cannot be praised too much. It continues to
• 2:45:49
  Speaker 1: give me awe and wonder. This quiet rest here fills
• 2:45:57
  Speaker 1: me with trust and faith in Him, a small person
• 2:46:02
  Speaker 1: in the hands of a great God, and infinitely loving
• 2:46:07
  Speaker 1: God under the starry night. I am even now turning
• 2:46:15
  Speaker 1: to Him again and resting in him. I recall Isaiah
• 2:46:22
  Speaker 1: thirty verse fifteen. This is what the Sovereign Lord, the
• 2:46:28
  Speaker 1: Holy One of Israel, says. Only in returning to me
• 2:46:35
  Speaker 1: and resting in me will you be saved and quietness
• 2:46:41
  Speaker 1: and confidence as your strength. I am resting in him.
• 2:46:48
  Speaker 1: He is my only true deep rest. I can rest
• 2:46:54
  Speaker 1: in him even in the face of fear. He hasn't
• 2:46:59
  Speaker 1: given me a spirit of fear. He has given me
• 2:47:04
  Speaker 1: a spirit full of trust. Trust in him, and the
• 2:47:10
  Speaker 1: effect of righteousness will be peace, and the result of
• 2:47:16
  Speaker 1: righteousness quietness and trust forever. I am coming to Him
• 2:47:28
  Speaker 1: to rest and receive his righteousness, which produces quietness and trust.
• 2:47:37
  Speaker 1: It certainly reminds me of the Kiwi living a life
• 2:47:41
  Speaker 1: under the stars and quietness and stillness, courageously coming out
• 2:47:48
  Speaker 1: of hiding every night to find nourishment, and in finding
• 2:47:54
  Speaker 1: nourishment finding strength again. For me, this points to Jesus.
• 2:48:06
  Speaker 1: He is the bread of life, and his word is
• 2:48:10
  Speaker 1: our true nourishment. And both his presence and his word
• 2:48:17
  Speaker 1: give us life and the ability to trust in him.
• 2:48:23
  Speaker 1: His quietness is such a gift. Here on this island,
• 2:48:30
  Speaker 1: away from the hustle and bustle, and away from civilization,
• 2:48:37
  Speaker 1: all is calm. The questions and the wrestling I have
• 2:48:43
  Speaker 1: during the day are stilled and quieted. This reminds me
• 2:48:50
  Speaker 1: of the words of childlike trust that King David penned
• 2:48:55
  Speaker 1: in p. One hundred and thirty one, Oh Eternal One.
• 2:49:01
  Speaker 1: My heart is not occupied with proud thoughts. My eyes
• 2:49:06
  Speaker 1: do not look down on others. I don't even begin
• 2:49:10
  Speaker 1: to get involved in matters too big, matters of faith, state, business,
• 2:49:18
  Speaker 1: or the many things that defy my ability to understand them.
• 2:49:23
  Speaker 1: Of one thing, I am certain my soul has become calm,
• 2:49:31
  Speaker 1: quiet and contented in you, like a weaned child resting
• 2:49:38
  Speaker 1: upon his mother. I am quiet. My soul is like
• 2:49:45
  Speaker 1: a weaned child. Oh Israel, stake your trust completely in
• 2:49:54
  Speaker 1: the eternal, from this very moment and into the last future.
• 2:50:03
  Speaker 1: What tonic those words are. What a soothing bomb to
• 2:50:08
  Speaker 1: my soul. There is a bomb in Gilead, and his
• 2:50:15
  Speaker 1: name is Jesus. May we all be able to inhabit
• 2:50:21
  Speaker 1: that truth and practice it even during the busy day
• 2:50:27
  Speaker 1: and during the confusing night seasons, when we are apt
• 2:50:31
  Speaker 1: to wrestle with God and come with our questions. As
• 2:50:39
  Speaker 1: I rest here, my questions and confusions fade. They fade
• 2:50:46
  Speaker 1: away into the forest dim What I can't see, I
• 2:50:52
  Speaker 1: can't see, and that's okay. As a small child in
• 2:50:58
  Speaker 1: the Lord's arm, I can come to peace with mystery.
• 2:51:06
  Speaker 1: His ways are far above my ways. I can simply
• 2:51:12
  Speaker 1: sit here and breathe in the cool night air. It's
• 2:51:18
  Speaker 1: the purest air I've breathed in many a long day.
• 2:51:25
  Speaker 1: But there I think I can hear a gentle peeping
• 2:51:30
  Speaker 1: noise and a soft footed rustling. I shan't turn on
• 2:51:36
  Speaker 1: my flashlight because it would frighten the tender little kiwi
• 2:51:40
  Speaker 1: while it's seeking dinner. My eyes have adjusted more to
• 2:51:45
  Speaker 1: my surroundings, and the moonlight is illuminating the forest beautifully.
• 2:51:54
  Speaker 1: Lo and behold, I can see the cute brown kiwi.
• 2:52:00
  Speaker 1: It's carefully and gingerly stepping on the leafy carpet, using
• 2:52:07
  Speaker 1: its very long and delicate beak to forage for worms
• 2:52:11
  Speaker 1: and grubs. It doesn't seem bothered by me. It's coming closer,
• 2:52:19
  Speaker 1: so perhaps it senses that I mean no harm. I
• 2:52:23
  Speaker 1: have simply come to visit it in its home and
• 2:52:26
  Speaker 1: learn more about my relationship with God by observing it.
• 2:52:32
  Speaker 1: It's innocently trusting and getting on with its God made purpose.
• 2:52:40
  Speaker 1: That is very good for me to learn too. In fact,
• 2:52:45
  Speaker 1: even Paul gives this advice in First Thessalonians four eleven.
• 2:52:51
  Speaker 1: And make it your goal to lead a peaceful life.
• 2:52:56
  Speaker 1: Mind your own business and keep your hands busy in
• 2:53:00
  Speaker 1: your work, as we have instructed you. This kiwi is
• 2:53:06
  Speaker 1: minding its own business, doing what God is calling it
• 2:53:11
  Speaker 1: to do, and thus it's cultivating a life of peace
• 2:53:16
  Speaker 1: and quiet. We could all avoid much pain and turmoil
• 2:53:22
  Speaker 1: if we did what God put in front of us
• 2:53:25
  Speaker 1: and obeyed him in trust and simplicity. Sitting here on
• 2:53:33
  Speaker 1: the forest floor watching this innocent, little flightless bird, I
• 2:53:39
  Speaker 1: feel like I'm doing what I was made to do,
• 2:53:44
  Speaker 1: resting in the gentle and sweet presence of the Holy Spirit,
• 2:53:51
  Speaker 1: enjoying the majesty of the almighty creator God. Surely that
• 2:53:58
  Speaker 1: is what we are called in to quietness and simplicity
• 2:54:05
  Speaker 1: and trust and a life of rest and peace and
• 2:54:11
  Speaker 1: believing in Him. I invite you, precious listener, to remain
• 2:54:21
  Speaker 1: in the peaceful forest and enjoy the sights and sounds.
• 2:54:28
  Speaker 1: Continue watching this demure little Kiwi foraging for worms, and
• 2:54:35
  Speaker 1: let sleep bring rest to your soul. Let me pray
• 2:54:42
  Speaker 1: over you one final time in the words of Romans
• 2:54:46
  Speaker 1: fifteen thirteen. I pray that God, the source of hope,
• 2:54:55
  Speaker 1: will fill you completely with joy and peace, because because
• 2:55:00
  Speaker 1: you trust in Him, then you will overflow with confident
• 2:55:06
  Speaker 1: hope through the power of the Holy Spirit and Precious One.
• 2:55:13
  Speaker 1: May you return to the Lord day after day and
• 2:55:18
  Speaker 1: find rest in him. May you bring him your questions
• 2:55:23
  Speaker 1: and wrestle during the night seasons, but find his blessing
• 2:55:27
  Speaker 1: greets you at break of dawn. May trust in Him
• 2:55:34
  Speaker 1: give you strength every hour as you walk with Him
• 2:55:38
  Speaker 1: through this life. And the precious name of Jesus Amen,
• 2:55:47
  Speaker 1: as you sleep, receive the truth that repentance and rest
• 2:55:54
  Speaker 1: are your salvation, and quietness and trust are your strength.