19 Aug Meeting God in Quiet and in Power

From Gentle Streams to Roaring Seas

I once overheard a friend of mine say something so moving to her daughter while on a walk with my own daughter and me. We were all standing among the lush vegetation of a secret green hollow in our neighbourhood which overhung an unseen stream, and she said, “Listen to the water. God speaks to us through the water.”

This resonated with me deeply. When I reflect on my own moments of intimacy with God, they have often occurred in spaces of proximity to the sound of water in some form or another, whether it be listening to the rain while journaling, walking alongside streams on residential greenbelts or sitting on the beach watching and hearing the crashing waves; there is something about the purity of water that inspires prayer and thoughts of God for me, which is in line with scripture as He even describes Himself as ‘the spring of living water.’ (Jeremiah 2:13 NIV).

The other day during my quiet time, I let the thought of water meander long and far, drawing what felt like a truly appropriate portrait of God’s character and how He relates to us. It struck me that as water takes on so many different forms, so does God; just as water is a still and gentle stream as well as a wild and vast ocean, so God is both a whisper of peace and our refuge, as well as a thunderous all-consuming power. To have complete relationship with our Father, we can’t experience Him in one form only. We need to allow ourselves to flow with the current of His will lest we lose out on the full renewal and power that relationship with Him offers.

Gentle Streams: Meeting God in Quiet

‘He leads me beside quiet waters…’ (Psalm 23: 2 NIV).

Jesus said to the woman at the well that whoever drinks the water he gives will never thirst again (John 4: 13-14). I don’t know if you have ever drunk directly from a mountain stream, but my experience of it was that I had never tasted something so wholly invigorating, it certainly felt like it was a thirst-quench with longevity. The first year of my walk in faith was one of the most deeply enriching and meaningful years of my life. I spent so much time on my own with God, sitting, walking and talking with Him, that I truly felt that if I was the only human alive on earth, I would be perfectly content, because I had Him.

Nurturing my personal relationship with God is therefore a big priority in my life, for unless I can experience God alone, I cannot know His deep love for me the individual, as His child and as a small piece of His creation. It is knowledge and constantly reminding myself of this love that fills me, fuels me, and makes me instrumental to the kingdom, because being filled with His love means I can overflow with love, giving to others that love that I have received from the source of all love.

Experiencing the peace of personal intimacy with God means that I am often tempted to avoid community; I have a strong desire to live my spiritual life in private with God alongside the quiet waters. But I know this is not His will for my life. Water naturally flows towards the sea, and so long as that water is constantly moving, it will continue to flow with life and vibrancy. If it collects and becomes stagnant, it loses its vitality and can become a breeding ground for bacteria and other elements that make it unsafe to consume. This is like our relationship with God and therefore our faith when we refuse to flow with the current of His will; we too will become stagnant, and like all stagnant water, we will find that the water is no longer life- giving and may become a breeding ground for unwanted sin.

As we become strengthened by drinking from the quiet stream of our personal relationship with God, we need to surrender to His will as the natural current of water flows towards the sea.

Roaring Seas: Meeting God in Power

The sea is where we encounter God in power, which can be a symbol for corporate worship and community. We cannot belong to His kingdom without being in His kingdom with our fellow believers.

When we pray for each other and lay hands on one another, we see God move. We see God’s justice and mercy demonstrated through outreach ministries, uplifting communities and being a sanctuary for those who live on the fringes of society. We see love displayed through relationship and close counsel, doing life with one another. Alongside this, though we are saints, we are saints being sanctified which means sometimes repressed sin is being brought to the surface and clashing with sin in other believers. But in times of adversity in church, we also see God’s redeeming hand bringing about conciliation and healing.

In these ways, God’s reflection through fellowship is very much like the sea; just as the sea can be turbulent and windswept, it can be perfectly orchestrated and powerful in the majestic waves rising and falling in perfect formation and rhythm.

There is no such thing as a perfect church, and my church is no different. But one vital aspect of my church keeps me firmly rooted in its community, and that is the presence of the Holy Spirit. I often used to think that you need to prime yourself before going to church if you want to experience the presence of God, but there have been times when I’ve arrived at church with a very distracted mindset, either it’s been a rushed morning or I’ve simply been distant from God throughout the week, but in spite of this, I have felt showered by the Holy Spirit merely by being present in the gathering of strong believers. Someone speaks a prayer over the congregation or a powerful moment of worship surges through the room, and I feel the rippling of His divine presence across the entire surface of my body and soul. That’s power in His presence, and it’s made possible through the corporate fellowship and gathering of the Saints.

Where the River meets the Sea

Returning to my quiet time when I reflected on this comparison of God and water, I was sitting just by a small estuary, perfectly positioned to hear both the distant roar of the sea as well as the gentle trickle of the estuary. These two contrasting sounds were existing in harmony with one another, and every so often, the gentle methodical trickle was overlaid by the gentle swoosh of a larger wave reaching its final stretch. Just as the estuary feeds into the sea, so the sea washes over the estuary and fills its banks, giving it more movement and energy.

How similar it is to how we live in community; just as we become part of the fellowship and so feed the kingdom, we are also fed by the kingdom when we need renewed energy. It is a symbiotic relationship, in which at times we will be flowing more powerfully into the kingdom, and other times, the kingdom will be overflowing to us, and it is all living in the fullness of God and His purpose for our lives.

Let us Pray:

Father God, thank you for how you reveal to yourself to us in all forms. Please help us to experience the fullness of your character and love and live a balanced life in personal relationship with you and community. For those of us who want to live hidden away in relationship with you alone, gives us obedience and boldness to serve in community. For those of us who are too busy actively engaging in church and activities that we forget to connect with you alone, please draw us away to a quiet place with you. In Jesus name, Amen.

Angela Chiaberta

I am a volunteer blogger with a passion for God and writing. My hope is to help others choose faith – or to walk deeper in their faith – through my own introspections and observations.