quieting, day 1

Come to Stillness:
Take a few minutes to allow your mind and heart to be still before God.

Opening Prayer:

Uncrowd my heart, O God,

until silence speaks

in your still small voice;

turn me from the hearing of words,

and the making of words,

and the confusion of much speaking,

to listening,

waiting,

stillness,

silence.

                                    ~Thomas Merton

Psalm for the Week: Psalm 23

Scripture for the Day: Ecclesiastes 5:1-7

Reading for Reflection:

What deadens us most to God’s presence within us, I think, is the inner dialogue that we are continuously engaged in with ourselves, the endless chatter of human thought.  I suspect that there is nothing more crucial to true spiritual comfort…than being able from time to time to stop that chatter including the chatter of spoken prayer.  If we choose to seek the silence of the holy place, or to open ourselves to its seeking, I think there is no surer way than by keeping silent.

     God knows I am no good at it, but I keep trying, and once or twice I have been lucky, graced.  I have been conscious but not conscious of anything, not even of myself.  I have been surrounded by the whiteness of snow.  I have heard the stillness that encloses all sounds stilled the way whiteness encloses all colors stilled, the way wordlessness encloses all words stilled.  I have sensed the presence of a presence.  I have felt a promise promised.

     I like to believe that once or twice, at times like those, I have bumbled my way into at least the outermost suburbs of the Truth that can never be told but only come upon, that can never be proved but only lived for and loved. (Telling Secrets by Frederick Buechner)

Reflection and Listening: silent and written

Prayer: for the church, for others, for myself

Song for the Week: Be Still My Soul

            Be still, my soul: the Lord is on thy side.

           Bear patiently the cross of grief or pain.

           Leave to thy God to order and provide;

           In every change, He faithful will remain.

           Be still, my soul: thy best, thy heavenly Friend

           Through thorny ways leads to a joyful end.

           Be still, my soul: thy God doth undertake

           To guide the future, as He has the past.

           Thy hope, thy confidence let nothing shake;

           All now mysterious shall be bright at last.

           Be still, my soul: the waves and winds still know

           His voice Who ruled them while He dwelt below.

           

Closing Prayer:

O God of peace, who hast taught us that in returning and

rest we shall be saved, in quietness and in confidence shall be

our strength: By the might of thy Spirit lift us, we pray thee,

to thy presence, where we may be still and know that thou

art God; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

(The Book of Common Prayer)