Jesus said, "Come to me, all of you who are tired from carrying heavy loads, and I will give you rest."    – Matthew 11:28 (TEV)

     My mother taught us about God's love and often concluded our conversations with, "Take it to God in prayer."

     I did not appreciate the wisdom of her counsel until my life was filled with storms.  Day in and day out, I found myself saying one steady prayer: "God, I need your counsel.  I need to hear from you.  Guide me; teach me; talk to me."  However, the storms kept coming.  I struggled to reconcile my continuing troubles with my relationship with God.

     One night while I was in the gym's pool, taking a break from swimming and saying again my prayer for God to speak to me, God finally got my attention.  I heard God say, "Look how the water becomes calmer and clearer when your movement stops.  Cast your burdens at my feet, and I will give you rest."

     We want answers to our prayers here and now.  God says to us, "If only you would stop moving around and making so much noise! Stay quiet in my presence, and I will open the gates of heaven and bless you until your cup runs over." (See Mal. 3:10)  I realized that even in prayer, we have to stop talking in order to listen.

Deborah Dimowo (Lagos, Nigeria)

Prayer: Precious Lord, teach us to recognize that you are powerful and that we are not.  We live not by our own power, but only by your grace.  Amen.

     The sermon about Samuel and Eli (on the 15th) talked about us learning to listen for the voice of God.  In this devotional, we are reminded again about the power of listening to God.  Sometimes our prayers need to be silence awaiting the voice of God.  We don't have to do it all.  God is there for us to lean on.

     Try taking a little bit of time to be quiet and listen to what God has to say on the matter.  Instead of telling God what to do, let's let God lead us.

See you on Sunday!
Pastor Sarah

See you at Cokesbury UMC next Sunday!

Did You Miss a Sermon or Want to hear one Again?

Pastor Sarah Kalish’s sermons are taped each Sunday and are available to shut-ins and others who missed hearing her. If you would like a copy of the sermon, contact the church secretary at
jgillis@cokesburyumc.net