I am sitting in the stillness of the early morning. The sun is not up yet. There is definitely a chill in the air. All the lights in the house are still off, except in the room where I am sitting. No electronic devices have been turned on yet. There is peace and quiet all around.
I cherish these special moments early in the morning with just Jesus and me. It is the time when I gain strength and encouragement for what I will face in the day ahead. Taking this time helps to remind me to keep my focus on the “Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29), and not lose sight of Him, regardless of what is going on all around.
In The Ministry of Healing, p. 58, the author, Ellen White, says this: “All who are under the training of God need the quiet hour for communion with their own hearts, with nature, and with God. In them is to be revealed a life that is not in harmony with the world, its customs, or its practices; and they need to have a personal experience in obtaining a knowledge of the will of God. We must individually hear Him speaking to the heart. When every other voice is hushed, and in quietness we wait before Him, the silence of the soul makes more distinct the voice of God. He bids us, ‘Be still, and know that I am God.’ Psalm 46:10. This is the effectual preparation for all labor for God. Amidst the hurrying throng, and the strain of life’s intense activities, he who is thus refreshed will be surrounded with an atmosphere of light and peace. He will receive a new endowment of both physical and mental strength. His life will breathe out a fragrance, and will reveal a divine power that will reach men’s hearts.”
Against that background, we cannot help but notice the drama on the world stage is intensifying. Service men and women are engaged in wars around the world; medical personnel and researchers are fighting wars against diseases that are killing people by the hundreds daily; experts in the world of technology are in a battle to stop viruses and hackers; family members, and sometimes entire families, are being destroyed because of domestic violence; and the list goes on and on.
The drama on the Seventh-day Adventist Church stage is also intensifying. The General Conference Session in July 2015—the business meeting of the church that is held every five years—will have items on the agenda for discussion that will have the attention of members of the world church and beyond; leaders continue to grapple with how to hold on to the youth population who are leaving the Adventist Church; and the list also goes on.
As individual members of the “body of Christ” (1 Corinthians), regardless of what is going on in the world and the church, we need to be fortified and ready to be placed wherever God wants to place us to be effective witnesses for Him. Spending time alone with Him will help to put our lives in perspective so that the words we speak and the actions we take will reflect His grace, mercy, and love in the time when it is most needed, and help to effectively reach the hearts of all whom the Lord brings under our influence.
As 2014 winds down, I trust that we are all intentionally finding the time each day that is most conducive to spending those precious moments in communion with the Lamb of God, our Creator, Redeemer, and Friend. I encourage you to keep in mind some counsel from Scripture: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths”—Proverbs 3:5, 6 (NKJV).
Ednor A. P. Davison is the editor of the Atlantic Union Gleaner and assistant to the president for communication in the Atlantic Union Conference.