Psalm 104:1-3 –  Praise the LORD, O my soul. O LORD my God, you are very great; you are clothed with splendor and majesty. He wraps himself in light as with a garment; he stretches out the heavens like a tent and lays the beams of his upper chambers on their waters. He makes the clouds his chariot and rides on the wings of the wind.

Habakkuk 2:20 – The Lord is in his holy temple; let all the earth be silent before him.

When I awaken this morning, the world is still dark, and the only sound is the early morning song of the waves crashing to the shore. They sound so loud, but I think that’s because they aren’t yet competing with the hustle and bustle of people busy relaxing on vacation. I decide to get out of bed and have my quiet time while the ocean and I are the only ones up and moving.  As I sit with my Bible and my cup of coffee, I open the balcony door to bring the sound I love so much just a little bit closer. Thank You, Lord for Your wondrous creation and for vacations so I can enjoy it!!  The opportunity to have my coffee and my prayer time on the beach is just too precious to pass up so …….. to the sand I go. But, as I ‘m walking and silently singing glory to Your name, I see the sun start to rise. Pink rays are filling the sky with light. When I was a child, I thought that was You looking at Your creation. As an adult, I’m not sure that thought was incorrect. Verse 3 of Psalm 104 says that You lay the beams of Your upper chambers on the waters, and that’s what I am witness to this morning.  So often my prayer time is a time of me doing all the talking, but I know that this is more of a Psalm 46:10 moment — “be still and know that I am God”.  As I stop and watch pink rays become blue sky, I am overcome with Your presence and stand amazed.  Habakkuk 2:20 comes to my mind.  Lord, please help me to avoid all the busyness and noise that I allow to overtake Your calm and quiet voice.  Help me to be still and stand silent before You.