Shhh! Quiet!

While visiting the community of Taize we had the experience of hearing the bells of the church ring three times a day.  They were calling everyone to church for prayer.  Three times a day, everything in that community stopped:  the work, the Bible studies, the discussions.  Everything and everyone stopped for prayer.   Thousands of mainly young people from all over the world would come together to pray and sing together with the brothers of the community.  Scripture would be read in several languages.  In the middle of each service there would be a long period of silence.  Silence was a significant part of their prayer service.

Brother Rogers, founder of the Taize Community, writes, “When we try to express communion with God in words, we rapidly reach the end of our capacities.  That is why silence is so essential in discovering the heart of prayer.  Often God’s voice comes in a whisper, in a breath of silence.  Remaining in silence in God’s presence, open to the Spirit, is already prayer.”  The essence of prayer is to stop our activity and pause to be with the Living God.  Scripture commands us: “Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him”. (Psalm 37:7) and “Be still, and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10). 

We are called to move into God’s presence and rest there; that alone is no easy task.  Our internal and external worlds are filled with noise and distractions.  Some studies suggest that the average person can only bear fifteen seconds of silence.  For this reason, silence is probably the most challenging and least experienced discipline among many Christians today.  Though it’s a struggle, being silent before God ushers us into His restful presence.  Henri Nouwen wrote, “without solitude it is almost impossible to live a spiritual life.  In solitude, we separate ourselves from people and things in order to attend to God.  In stillness, we quiet every inner and outer voice to listen for God’s sheer silence”.

Below is a practical guide Peter Scazzero, author of Emotionally Healthy Spirituality developed to assist in creating this time of silence.

Practical Guidelines:

Many that teach solitude and silence suggest daily times of silence before the Lord for 20 minutes. I find that beginning the practice with 2-10 minutes once a day is often a great start.  Give yourself lots of grace as you enter into this very new spiritual practice.

* Find a place where you can sit still and uninterrupted.

* Breathe slowly, deeply, and naturally. Offer yourself to God; let go of your cares and worries.

* Close your eyes or lower them to the ground.

* Allow yourself to sink into God’s loving presence.

* When you find yourself distracted, gently return to the Lord.

Dealing with Distractions:

The following have been helpful to me as my mind wanders:

1. When you find your mind wandering, let your breathing bring you back. As you breathe in, ask God to fill you with the Holy Spirit. As you breathe out, exhale all that is sinful, false, and not of Him.

2. I sometimes pray the Jesus Prayer, “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me a sinner.” This invites us to remember what our short, earthly lives are ultimately about.

3. I love to pray the Lord’s Prayer each day. When my mind wanders with distractions, I simply return to “Abba, Father” to reconnect me with Jesus. It also reminds me of my purpose in the stillness — I quiet myself to connect with Him.

Without expectation of results or revelation, we simply offer our time to be with God in stillness. We choose to make space for God. He is already present and waiting. Trust the Spirit to guide you into this practice and take you into deeper intimacy with God in stillness. Just remember that you do not need to do anything to capture God’s attention or love. You do not even need to speak. Simply be with God in love.