The Rhythm of Renewal: Part 1 - Stillness, Kizombo Kalumbula
Mark 1:35 and Psalm 46:10

I. Stillness is not optional. It is foundational.
A. Jesus is baptized, and He hears the affirmation of God
B. He goes into the wilderness to be tempted
C. He calls his first disciples
D. He teaches with authority
E. He casts out demons
F. He heals Peter’s mother-in-law
G. At sunset, the whole town is at the door

II. Stillness in the Middle of Chaos

III. Stillness does not mean inactivity, but it means surrendered attention.

Matthew 11:28-230.
A. Stillness is not about escaping reality. It is about re-centering on God’s reality.
B. Stillness precedes knowing.
C. Looking at the life of Jesus:
D. Decision – before choosing the twelve disciples
E. power - after feeding the five thousand
F. the cross - He withdraws to pray.

IV. Stillness exposes what noise hides.
A. anxiety surfaces,
B. fear speaks,
C. unresolved grief rises,
D. control issues are revealed.

V. Practical Steps to remain still before God.
A. Schedule Stillness
B. Choose Solitude
C. Sit without an agenda
D. Return regularly

Take Action
Mark 1:35, Psalm 46:10; and Mathew 11:28-30
1. What is the Holy Spirit urging you to do because of hearing this message?
2. Where in your daily or weekly life do you sense the greatest resistance to stillness, and what might that resistance be revealing about your heart?
3. Jesus withdrew to a solitary place at the height of ministry demand (Mark 1:35). What would it look like for you to practice stillness not after exhaustion, but before it?
4. Psalm 46:10 calls us to be still in the middle of chaos, not after it passes. What current “noise” or uncertainty is God inviting you to surrender to Him right now?
5. How have business, distraction, or productivity subtly replaced intimacy with God in your spiritual life, even while doing good or faithful things?
6. Which of the practical steps toward stillness – scheduling time, choosing solitude, sitting without an agenda, or returning regularly – do you need to practice, and what is one concrete action you can take this week?