To hear God, be silent
Remember when God spoke to Elijah on Mt. Horeb? There was a mighty wind, an earthquake, and a fire, but it was not until Elijah heard a gentle whisper or “a still, small voice” that he knew God was present (see 1 Kings 19:11-13). God wants to be present to you and me too. He desires to commune with us in a gentle whisper. In order to “hear” Him—to be open to receive Him—we must be silent.
Blessed Mother Teresa said, “We need to find God, and He cannot be found in noise and restlessness. God is the friend of silence. See how nature —trees, flowers, grass—grows in silence; see the stars, the moon and the sun, how they move in silence… We need silence to be able to touch souls.”
Our modern world is full of noise and activity. With four young boys at home, silence is a rare blessing for me. Still, there are many ways I can cultivate silence both during and away from my prayer time. Except for on long trips, I do not turn on the radio or CDs in the car. At home we never use music or TV for background noise.
Read the rest at Contemplative Homeschool.
how to be quiet and listen...something our secular society does not teach us
ReplyDeleteYes, we have so much noise, there is little room for God.
DeleteI agree. All the things I thought were relaxing me, have just caused more noise. Outer noise (tv, music, etc) and inner noise (self doubt) by (Internet, magazines, some novels) I have finally found myself setting silent time on the schedule for myself - and it's amazing.
ReplyDelete