Spiritual discipline of

Silence

God invites us to listen to Him.

But

Only the silent hear

andthose who are not

silentdo not hear.

During a very difficult time in Israel’s

history, God sought out Elijah, a

discouraged prophet, to teach him

something new.

The Lord said, “Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about

to pass by.”

Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountain apart and

shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not not in the

wind.

After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was notnot

in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire, but the

Lord was notnot in the fire.

And after the fire came a sound of a sound of sheer silencesheer silence … 1 Kings 19:11-13

And the Lord God was in the silence.

Scholars struggled how to explain that God spoke

in the “sound of sheer sound of sheer silencesilence” so they

translated the Hebrew phrase as a “still small

voice,” or a “gentle whisper.”

But there was only silence.

And in that silence Elijah met God.

So will we.

You may be wondering why these slides are

moving so slowly.

It’s going to be okay.

Take a deep breath.

So Scripture teaches us:

God is not only in the wind.

God is not only in the earthquake

God is not only in the fire.

He is also in the “sound of sheer

silence.”

Silence is actually a mode of activity – not just a refraining from speaking or undue noise,

but a special form of attentiveness to God.

Anonymous Author

Silence is where God dwells …

but …

We are surrounded by noise.

The experience of silence is now so rare we must guard and

treasure it …

Jesus knew the importance of silence.

Very early in the morning, while it was still

dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he

prayed. Mark 1:35

Hear these words from Jesus for you:

“Come with me … to a quiet place and get

some rest.” Mark 6:31

In just a moment, we will try silence without

words.

For 1 minute

We will begin and end our 1 minute with a

chime.

Ready?

Let God embrace you with His love during

this time.

Close your eyes and let’s begin.

Welcome back

In silence God has many wonderful gifts

for us …

Silence centers us.

Silence brings us back to the basics, to our senses, to ourselves.

Silence makes us attentive to the world

around us …

Silence allows us to “taste and see” …

There is so much to see … to savour … to

experience … to delight in …

Take in these next images …

Ask yourself a few questions.

Ready?

If silence is difficult for you, why do you think

that is?

What are the noises in your life that need to be quieted so you can hear God speaking?

What calls out to you from these words?

“Silence is the discipline by which the

inner fire of God is tended and kept

alive.” Henri Nouwen

Learning silence is so important that in the 4th century Agatho, a

Christian abbot, carried a stone in his mouth for three years until he learned to be

silent.

How many stones might you need to

carry in your mouth to be silent and listen?

“When you are on your beds, search your hearts and be silent.”

Psalm 4:4

Do not be rash with your mouth, And let not your

heart utter anything hastily before God.

For God is in heaven, and you on earth; Therefore let your words be few.

Eclessiasters 5:2

Let’s now try silence without words once

again.

Only this time let’s do it for 3 minutes.

We will begin and end our three minutes with

a chime.

Ready?

Take a deep breath, relax and you might

want to ask:

“God how do you want to come to me in these 3 minutes of silence?”

Close your eyes and let’s begin.

Welcome back

The Lord is in holy temple; let all the

earth be silent before him.

(That includes us)

Habbakuk 2:20

Is it possible that you have been searching for

God in the wind, the earthquake, and the fire,

and

He is waiting to be with you in the “sound of

sheer silence?”