"Out There"

They call it breaks and boondocks,

And sometimes big out there,

Far from the city limits,

It’s the country everywhere.

It’s high up in the mountains,

It’s on the desert dry,

It’s all along the rivers,

You can get there if you try.

It’s grasslands and broad meadows,

Some places call ‘em parks,

Some folks get to work there,

Others go on larks,

Just to find some wilderness,

A place without a crowd,

Away from all the chaos,

Of smells and sounds so loud.

It’s open rangeland prairie,

It’s woodlands lush and green,

It’s canebreaks and low country,

Wet as e’er you’ve seen.

And though each place is different,

In common this for sure,

They’re away from everybody,

And I pray they will endure.

‘Cause this I know about the soul,

It needs a quiet place,

Somewhere that you can slow down,

And seek the Savior’s face.

And perchance you’ll see Him,

And hear Him speak to you,

Out there in the outback,

More likely this is true.

Be still and know, know and be still,

That’s how the Good Book reads,

Find yourself the quiet place,

As there the Spirit leads.

“Then Jesus said, ‘Let’s go off by ourselves to a quiet place and rest awhile…” (Mark 6:31, NLT)

If Jesus and His disciples needed to do this, how much more do we? The Psalmist said, “Be still and know that I am God.” (Psalm 46:10). It is often in the still moments and the quiet place that we can really hear the Spirit of the Lord speaking to us. In our busy, nonstop world of constant communication, this is even more important. I pray all of us can find it.

Lord, lead us to the quiet place that will help us draw near to You, in Jesus’ name.

Art by Don Weller, donweller.com. Used by permission. Thanks, Don, and God bless you.