Lisa Barry: For the last two weeks, Elisabeth has been encouraging us to wait on God with quiet hearts. Is that something that comes easily for most of us? I'd have to say no. After all, we are people of the 90's. We take charge. We go for the gusto and wait for no one. So how is a person supposed to switch gears and assume a position of submission, of waiting, of quietness?

Today on Gateway to Joy, Elisabeth Elliot offers suggestions on how we might do just that. Whether you're in the midst of a raging trial right now or you just seem to be lacking direction or quietness in your own soul, you'll appreciate Elisabeth's words. Let's join her now as she continues in this two-week series entitled "Keep a Quiet Heart." Here she is.

Elisabeth Elliot: "You are loved with an everlasting love." That's what the Bible says. "And underneath are the everlasting arms." This is your friend Elisabeth Elliot, talking again today from my book KEEP A QUIET HEART.

This chapter is called "An Overflowing Cup." "'The Lord is gracious and compassionate, good to all, faithful to all His promises, loving toward all He has made, righteous in all His ways, near to all who call on Him, watches over all who love Him. My mouth will speak in praise of the Lord.' That's from Psalm 145.

"As the year dwindles, my heart swells. How to express the joy and gratitude for daily evidence of all the above? I thank God for all the saints whose lives have demonstrated to me what it means to be a Christian. Dr. May Powell, a remarkable English lady, died at age 95. She had joined Amy Carmichael in her work in India in 1924, helping to build up the medical work. Then when Amy was injured, she became co-leader with her of the Dohnavur Fellowship.

"After Amy's death in 1951, the responsibility of leader fell to Dr. Powell. Eventually she returned to England to care for two older sisters. Following their deaths, she continued to serve the Lord she loved, always available to many who needed her prayers and her counsel. I visited her in England in 1983 when I was working on A CHANCE TO DIE, the biography of Amy Carmichael.

"Dr. Powell had given me specific instructions by phone as to train, taxi and finding the residential home where she lived. She was waiting at the door, very tiny and erect, very cheerful and direct, reminding me at once (but in appearance only) of the old lady in 'Beverly Hillbillies.'

"'So you're Elisabeth. Come in. Do you know the word loo?' I did. It's the British nickname for toilet. 'Yes, there's the loo. There's your room. Tea at the top of these stairs in twenty minutes.'

"Up the stairs she went with great energy. Her room was not much more than a cell, a narrow cot, a small table with a tea kettle, cups and biscuits, all ready on a neat cloth; two chairs, a short bookshelf on the wall. Half of the books were Amy Carmichael's. I had my notebook in hand.

"'What would you like to know?' she asked. There wasn't time for nearly all my questions, but in those hours I knew that I had been with a very great woman, one of God's hidden ones, whose strength lies in nothing explainable by personality or hereditary, but in Him who is rock, fortress and might, who is in the darkness drear their one true light, whose distant song of triumph steals on our ears sometimes and makes our hearts brave again and our arms strong. Praise to God for such living flames of His love.

"Then there are my parents, both of whom are now also with the Lord, but with whom I feel that I have been living again during the past year as I worked on a book on the shaping of one Christian family. Studying minutely their letters and diaries, rereading the autobiography Mother wrote for us children, poring over the pictures, ransacking my memory and the memories of my brothers and sister, I have often paused and said, 'Thank You,' to Him who gave us such parents and such a home.

"I've also been solemnly aware of the weight and responsibility that is laid upon us, because 'to whomsoever much is given, much is required.' As an editor, my father spent his life reading other people's writing and never thought of writing a book. Three collections of his short writings were published in book form, however, one entitled NEW EVERY MORNING, published by Zondervan in 1969 and now out of print.

"Here is the title piece, 'An Exercise in Thanksgiving,' and a glimpse of the man he was. I think you'll see why I'm thankful for such a father.

"'Blessings taken for granted are often forgotten, yet our Heavenly Father daily loadeth us with benefits. Think of some of the common things which are nevertheless wonderful:

-the constant body temperature normally varying less than one degree,

He is referring there to our morning hymn sings after breakfast, the harmony of voices raised together in praise to God. Of course as we got older, we learned to sing parts, so I have brothers who sing bass and tenor and my sister and I sang alto and soprano. Of course, our parents both sang as well.

My father goes on to say, "'All these and many others come from the beautiful hand of Him who redeemeth thy life from destruction, who crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies, who satisfieth thy mouth with good things, so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle's.' That's from Psalm 103."

And then from Lamentations, "'It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning. Great is Thy faithfulness. It is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord, and to sing praises unto Thy name, O Most High.'"

Here's a quotation from Martin Luther. That was the end of my father's chapter. Martin Luther wrote, "He who believes in God is not careful for the morrow." That means not worried about tomorrow. "But labors joyfully and with a great heart, for He giveth his beloved as in sleep. They must work and watch, yet never be careful or anxious but commit all to Him and live in serene tranquility and with a quiet heart, as one who sleeps safely and quietly."

Here's a little note in this book called "Common Courtesy." "Talking with a group of seminary students, I mentioned that the common rules of courtesy are often overlooked nowadays, especially by those who grew up in the past two decades, an era in which all conventions and traditions were suspect. Mere convention came to mean pure hypocrisy. If a thing was labeled traditional, it had to be discarded as no longer relevant, meaningful or even intelligent. If a man had the temerity to hold a door open for the woman, he was sometimes labeled sexist."

My brother Tom, who was a professor in a Christian college, once had the temerity to hold open a door for a girl student, a girl who was wearing blue jeans, a sweatshirt and a backpack. She had what they used to call 'wafflestompers' on her feet. She spun around angrily and said to him, "Did you hold that door open because I'm a lady?" Tom's answer was, "No, I did it because I'm a gentleman."

"My point in bringing up the subject of courtesy was simply that it is a small way of demonstrating that deep principle, central to our Christian faith: My life for yours. That was the message that Jesus gave us from the cross, wasn't it? My life for yours. I asked my class if any of the husbands in that room made a habit of helping their wives into their chairs at the table, even when company was not present.

"A week later one of the men stopped me in the seminary hall. 'I just want to tell you that my behavior toward my wife has been altered since last week's lecture. You know what? It's changed my attitude toward her, as well as hers toward me. It's really been revelatory. Just wanted to say thanks.' I was immensely cheered. It's always cheering to know somebody has had ears to hear and has actually done something about what he heard."

I want to say how much I appreciate your letters when you write to tell me that you've actually done something about a lesson that you've learned through Gateway to Joy.

Lisa Barry: If hearing this programs would be helpful to you in keeping the right perspective, then I'd encourage you to get a copy of this series for yourself. It's called KEEP A QUIET HEART. The cost is $11.50. Just specify that you'd like the tape series when you send that amount to Gateway To Joy, Box 82500, Lincoln, Nebraska, 68501. Or call toll-free: 1-800-759-4JOY. Don't forget to check out our new and improved Web site. It's more user-friendly than ever. That address is gatewaytojoy.org. Today's program has been a production of Back to the Bible.

Be with us tomorrow when Elisabeth talks about the importance of family memories next time on Gateway To Joy.