How to Hear God’s Whisper in the Weary Hours
“Lord, I am so tired,” I said out loud in the darkness of the morning.
My usual morning ritual, which consists of one hour of reading my Bible, working through a Bible study, and praying, had fallen flat that particular morning. Slowly, I felt my spirit shift from a place of curiosity to merely checking off a list of tasks in the name of “getting in my quiet time.” I felt exhausted. As I cried out to my sovereign God, I heard a gentle voice whisper, “Sleep, my child.”
My husband and I had our second son six months prior. While he was sleeping through the night, I felt the compounding fatigue of parenting two children, working full-time, and ministering through my church.
Little did I know that this morning would be a catalyst for my personal and spiritual growth in ways I could never have imagined. God, through his graciousness, was gently awakening me to ways I’d been living and lies I’d been believing that were no longer serving me. As if to say, “Sleep my child because you need to learn how to rest in my love.”
God revealed my need for control, my tendency toward performance, and the lie that I believed: I wasn’t of any worth if I didn’t prove it or work for it.
The Gift of Stillness
In the years to come, I would learn to truly believe that God loved me—not just in knowledge, but in a deep, abundant faith that His love and grace are sufficient. He would begin to teach me that rest is something we need to quiet the distractions and lean into his invitations. His invitation to me was to stillness to seek the desires of my heart while drawing closer to Him.
I started reading Ruth Haley Barton’s Sacred Rhythms with some friends and learned about contemplative practices like solitude, breath prayer, and gratitude. Meanwhile, I was becoming increasingly aware of the busyness of my life and how it was draining my soul of joy. I started to feel a deep desire to be home with my children more and more.
In June of 2019, I took a work-from-home job where I could be home with my boys more. Nine months later the world shut down for the pandemic. God knew what I didn’t. My boys would need me to be home with them during a hard and challenging time.
Since then I have not returned to an office environment and have stepped away from my corporate career. God has called me to explore my creativity and artistry through listening, the desires of my heart, and how I can use my giftings in ministry to others.
God Leads with Grace and a Whisper
As I reflect on my journey, I see the threads of God weaving a new life for me—one that prioritizes Him and my family. In walking this path, side by side with Jesus, he’s revealed to me how my relationships with others have suffered. My own pain has hindered my ability to connect authentically with those around me.
But through the grace of God, just last week, I found myself in a room filled with amazing, kind, and beautiful people—true image bearers of God. I felt an overwhelming desire to get to know them better, without the need to diminish myself or hide due to my insecurities.
In seeking God and letting Him tend to the parts of me hindering my ability to embrace my true, authentic self—I find true rest and love in my Almighty God.
Gratitude comes when I think about how God continues to show me grace and lead me. I’m thankful each time He encourages me to step out in faith, leading me to experience more of my authentic self on the other side.
God invited me to rest.
He met me in my rest.
He waits with me in my rest.
Most of all, His grace consumes me in my rest.
But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.
2 Corinthians 12:9, NIV
Meet Austi Baudro
Austi Baudro is an artist and spiritual director living in the beautiful Pacific Northwest with her husband and two sons. A recent call to surrender everything inspired Austi to start her small business, Robe and Crown. Her mission is to help others prayerfully consider what God is inviting them to do. Through her art and messages, Austi hopes to encourage people by guiding them back to their relationship with God.
Robe and Crown is an online shop filled with scripture art and products such as devotional art prints, greeting cards, notebooks, and more. You’ll discover meaningful items and gifts, all featuring scripture art to draw you into God’s invitations.
Are you seeking a simple yet practical way to reconnect with the love of God? Download our free guide, “Breath Prayer Practice: 20 Breath Prayers for Your Everyday Life.” This practical resource will walk you through the practice of using breath as prayer, featuring the inspiring Robe and Crown art. DOWNLOAD HERE
Where to find her . . .
Begin Within is a series to inspire a year-round lifestyle of gratitude that will impact not only your own life, but the lives of your neighbors as well. Gratitude is a theme we talk about often around here because it ties so closely into other missional living rhythms. Practicing gratitude reminds to keep our hearts soft and expectant and our eyes open. Therefore, the more we embrace gratitude, the easier it becomes to truly see our neighbors and where we can join what God is already doing in our neighborhoods.
If you would like to contribute to Begin Within, you can find the submission guidelines here.
