
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.
We also have to be careful of constant chattering. Some people are naturally gregarious. If you are such a person, you might have to restrain yourself from saying everything you would like to say. You can practice listening intently to other people to train your soul to listen to God. You might ask yourself before you speak if your words are necessary and edifying. Even those of us who are naturally quiet can sometimes speak too much. I often find myself hammering a point. My kids—let alone other adults—don’t benefit much from lectures.
Quieting your senses
But silence in the spiritual sense goes beyond lack of external noise. We must learn to quiet all our senses. We need to be able to rest in God, rather than being restless. We should not be spiritual Marthas, worried about many things. The more cares and possessions we have, the more likely it is we will be distracted during prayer. Simplifying our lives can help.
At prayer time, make a conscious decision to put aside distractions. I sometimes begin by meditating on the verse, “I have stilled and quieted my soul, like a weaned child in its mother’s arms” (Psalm 131:2). Another idea is to picture Jesus on the cross or in the manger. One by one, lay all your cares at His feet. Leave them there for the duration of your prayer.
Silence might feel uncomfortable at first. That is actually a good sign. We aren’t meant to be empty. But we are meant to be filled with God, not temporal things. Empty your heart of noise and God will soon come to fill the silence.
SaintlySages
Indeed, I find God more in silence than in activity. How true it is what Christ said: that Mary chose the better part. Thanks for your posts, Connie. God bless!
Connie Rossini
I am totally a “Mary” person. Peace.
Paul Buggy
What a welcome reminder Connie. Thank you. Inviting and practical.
Connie Rossini
Thanks for the comment, Paul. With all these comments, there must be a lot of silence out there!
miriam
I really enjoy all your blogs, Connie. Thanks for taking the time to write. They are always so helpful and full of wisdom:)
Connie Rossini
Thanks, Miriam. I can always use the encouragement.
Michael
How true, we must empty ourselves to be filled with Christ.
Connie Rossini
Exactly!
Mary N
I’m with you on this, Connie – I think cultivating silence is one of the most important things we can do when it comes to the spiritual life. Like you, I don’t usually listen to music in the car and rarely have the TV on at home. Well…at least until my husband comes home that is. Then it’s a different story! Great post!
Connie Rossini
I used to do more of that. I figure I don’t need even more stuff running through my head when I’m supposed to be praying.
Lorena Holland
This is an excellent post…loved it…very helpful!
Connie Rossini
Thanks, Lorena. Blessings.
Loyd McIntire
I have set up a small chapel in a side office here at work. I come in 30 minutes just for the silence during prayer and reflection. It’s awesome.
Connie Rossini
Wow! Where do you work? (You don’t have to answer that.) All workplaces should have a chapel. Wouldn’t that change the tone of things?
Marcia
I need to do more work in quieting my senses. Thank you for this, Connie.
Connie Rossini
You’re welcome. God bless your efforts.
Are you crowding out God's voice? - Contemplative Homeschool
[…] Elijah the prophet is the father of all Carmelites. He made his home on Mt. Carmel in Israel. Elijah teaches us that God speaks in a whisper. To hear Him, we must be silent. […]
grace alone
Tthank you for sharing your writings, they are a help to me. May God bless you greatly
Connie Rossini
You’re welcome. Blessings on you as well. Please keep me in your prayers. I need spiritual help as much as anybody.