Silence

I love silence. What a precious commodity it is. Have you ever stopped and tried to enjoy the silence only to have it intruded upon by the whirling of an air unit, the wail of a siren, the roar of a jet flying above? Silence is hard to find. And yet silence is essential for the health of the soul.

God calls us to silence. He tells us to be still in order to know who He truly is as God. The prophets of old wandered in the deserts to find silence. Jesus retreated to the desert and to the mountain tops to find it. The monks have retreated to the deserts, islands and monasteries in search of it.

As a modern monastic I can't always go to the desert (not too many of those in South Carolina!) or to the mountain top to seek out the silence of God. But I can seek it out in my car, my home, my walk through the woods. In a world consumed by the chaos of noise we must be intentional in our search for silence. Turn off the car stereo and meditate upon God. Get up early in the morning and leave the television off. Walk through the woods alone and leave the IPod at home.

I am a morning person. I wake early so that I can pray the Morning Office, read the Scriptures, and read religious literature. All of that is well and good, but my favorite part of the morning is sitting in a quiet house, or on my quiet patio, and listening to God speak. I hear God in the chirping of the birds. I see God in the twinkling stars. I feel God as I sit alone with Him and the gentle breeze caresses my cheek.

The Eastern monks began using the Jesus prayer to center their thoughts and then listened for the voice of God: "Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the Living God, have mercy on me a sinner." By calling upon our Savior, acknowledging who He is, and asking for His mercy, we are opening up ourselves to the Mystery that is God and seeking the divine mercy that must come through Him. Jesus himself said that if we seek Him we will find Him. That is a promise. The Apostle James echoed this thought when he said that if we draw near to God He will draw near to us.

So what are you waiting for? Turn off the stereo, shut off the TV, and get to work listening for God to speak to you. Be still and know that He is God.