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