lenten 40: day 7 - silence (is easy?)

image 7.

reflection.
This silence is necessary because all chatter about one's own concerns nourishes self-preoccupation and self-trust, and these must be stifled! Through stillness one's trust grows in Him who sees what is hidden; through silence one talks with Him who hears without words. To come to Him is your endeavor, and in Him shall be all your confidence: you are anchored in eternity, and in eternity there are no words.

Hereafter you will consider that everything that happens to you, both great and small, is sent by God to help you in your warfare. He alone knows what is necessary for you and what you need at the moment: adversity and prosperity, temptation and fall. Nothing happens accidentally or in such a way that you cannot learn from it; you must understand this at once, for this is how your trust grows in the Lord whom you have chosen to follow.
~Tito Colliander

scripture.
¹⁶But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.
~Luke 5:16

¹¹ 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 mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. ¹² After the earthquake came a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper.
~! Kings 19:11-12

thought.
why is it easy to be silent when we're supposed to be bold - and yet hard to stay quiet when we need to shut up? there are obvious examples of one's need to retreat and be silent before God...

too much noise, busy schedules, chaotic distractions... thus is the life of a 21st century person living in the western world. with all of that, how could we possibly hear His message?

Don't you want to be free from all of that? turn your cell phone off. turn the tv off. put the book down. sign off the computer.

spend some time in silence. it's hard to do, but in the end - you just might realize how much you needed it. God sometimes speaks to us in the gentle things... whispering trees, blowing in the wind; crickets chirping under a canopy of stars; birds singing in light of the sun-drenched morning; the repetitive patterns of your lungs, breathing air in and out. when you are silent, you will hear things you mostly miss. perhaps you might even encounter God - speaking to your heart - without words.

free yourself from the chaos. be silent. pray. seek God.

be still.
~Psalm 46:10

question.
what steps do you need to take in order to be silent?
after spending time in silence, write about it.. journal your experience. blog it. how did you connect with God? how did He speak to you? what message did He give you?