Breaking the rhythm

Crazy! That's what most of us were thinking as Nik Wallenda stepped out onto a thin wire stretched across the Grand Canyon, with no safety devices. 

Nik became the first person ever to complete the 1500ft walk across the Grand Canyon. With strong winds and dangerous cable vibrations there were some heart stopping moments, especially when he kneels down on the cable and stops walking! Praying to God the whole way, Nik finally steps off and is interviewed by Discovery Channel.
 

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Discovery Channel: "Now twice Nik we saw you go down to the wire to get readjusted, to get the balance."
Nik: "Well I was building a huge rhythm in the cable and I had to sit down to hopefully take that rhythm out. That was the only thing I could do. What happens as I talked about, you can put a rhythm in the cable and if I didn't go down and kept walking it was just getting worse..." 

Besides Nik's amazing witness for Jesus, while crossing the Grand Canyon, I think there is another really important lesson that he (unknowingly) shares.

We all know the feeling, it starts off quite simply. 
"Yes, no problem, you can do gymnastics on Wednesdays."
"OK, that's fine - we will visit old Mrs Jones on Saturday afternoons."
"That sounds like a great idea! Why don't we do a book club once every second week on Monday."
"Hmm...this looks interesting, I think I should join. It just needs me to contribute one article a month...that should be fine!
"Yes, let's buy the car. I can just put in a bit of extra overtime."

And so it begins to build up. From simple additions, added one on top of another, our life begins to get a rhythm. A rhythm that begins to build, and build and build...and before we know it, is threatening to topple us from our fragile wire suspended above the great chasm of life. None of these things by themselves is an issue, but as we commit to more, grab for more, try more it suddenly seems overwhelming. There is no time left as we continue to walk on, relentlessly on towards the other side. But all of a sudden it just all seems too much. And then what should we do?

Simple! 
Exactly what Nik did. 
Stop!


"I had to sit down to hopefully take that rhythm out. That was the only thing I could do."
And this is exactly what God tells us to do. It is the only thing we can do.

“Be still, and know that I am God." (Psalm 46:10)

The word "still" literally means to faint or sink. That is what we have to do. We have to sink down, stop - be still.
We all need this in life. That time when we purposefully stop - and I don't mean stop to watch TV, or stop to read a book. Those are great too, but more importantly a time to stop, to be still with God. Jesus often did this to break the rhythm in his life - do we think we need it any less?

"When Jesus heard what had happened, he withdrew by boat privately to a solitary place." (Matt 14:13)
"But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed." (Luke 5:16)

We all need to make time, consciously make time for God. A time when we are alone, quietly with God. A time when we stop and listen. And in that time, in that quiet time we find for the the first time we can actually hear. We can hear a voice that is only heard when the raging noise of our life has been stilled.

"The Lord said, “Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.”
Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a still small voice." (1Ki 19:11-12)

So now after reading this, before clicking the next page, making the phone call, racing to the car...or whatever it is, take a moment - and break the dangerous rhythm in your life's cable. BE STILL, and listen for God. 

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Thanks...Malo.