“… He withdrew from there in a boat to a secluded place by Himself …”
(Matthew 14:13, NASB)
“How does a musician read the rest? He counts the break with unwavering precision and plays his next note with confidence, as if no pause were ever there.
God does not write the music of our lives without a plan. Our part is to learn the tune and not be discouraged during the rests. They are not to be slurred over or omitted, nor used to destroy the melody or to change the key. If we will only look up, God Himself will count the time for us. With our eyes on Him, our next note will be full and clear … let us not forget that the rest is part of the making of the music. The process is often slow and painful in this life, yet how patiently God works to teach us! And how long He waits for us to learn the lesson!” (John Ruskin)
(from Streams in the Desert by L. B. Cowman, January 22, page 44)
Photo by Alexander Kovacs on Unsplash
Today I am joining … Scripture & a Snapshot and Sunday Scripture Blessings and Selah .
I must read Streams in the Desert. Thank you for this reminder to pay attention to the empty spaces in between. This fits so well into my word for the year (empty).
I rotate several devotionals and this year, I returned to Streams 🙂 I am amazed at how timely it has been for me.
I substituted in the music room several days this year, and had the fun of teaching the kids to play the rests, and it emphasized for me the importance of silence in my own time with God.
Thanks so much for sharing so many good excerpts from your reading.
How fun to have substituted in the music room. Amazing the lessons God can teach us anywhere we may be.
God knows us so well. We are overwhelmed without the rests; especially during any learning process, and God is continuing teaching.
He knows exactly what is needed and the time. We need both movement and rests to have lives which are fruitful. May we follow His lead.
My husband is preaching a series of messages on the theme of needing “elevated sight.” I love the concept of keeping our eyes on Him as He conducts the pace of our life’s song.
Amen! I love the theme of your husband’s messages – “elevated sight”. We need to keep our eyes lifted high.
My piano teachers, voice instructors, and choir directors all repeat that wisdom – the rests are as important as the notes in creating the music! Loved this application to the life of faith as well.
“Streams in the Desert” brings such wisdom in the most simplest and beautiful of ways.
What a neat analogy. The rests can be critical to the rhythm and melody of the piece. And how we need God’s rests in the rhythms of our lives.
We need both movement and rests, and may God give the wisdom to know the timing of both. Blessings!