quieting, day 5

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: Lamentations 3:19-28

Reading for Reflection:

Without solitude it is virtually impossible to live a spiritual life.  Solitude begins with a time and place for God, and Him alone.  If we really believe not only that God exists but also that He is actively present in our lives—healing, teaching, and guiding—we need to set aside time and space to give Him our undivided attention. (Making All Things New by Henri J.M. Nouwen)

                                                                                   

Hasten unto Him who calls you in the silences of your heart. (A Testament of Devotion by Thomas R. Kelly)

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)

quieting, day 4

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: Psalm 131:1-3

Reading for Reflection:

To be calm and quiet all by yourself is hardly the same as sleeping, but means being fully awake and following with close attention every move going on inside you.  Silence requires the discipline to recognize the urge to get up and go again as a temptation to look elsewhere for what is close at hand.  It offers the freedom to stroll in your own inner yard, and to rake the leaves there and clear the paths so you can easily find the way to your heart.  Perhaps there will be much fear and uncertainty when you first come upon this “unfamiliar terrain,” but slowly you will discover an order and a familiarity which deepens your longing to stay home. (With Open Hands by Henri J. M. Nouwen)

Settle yourself in solitude and you will come upon  Him in yourself.                                                                                                                                                                                  

                                                                  ~Teresa of Avila

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)

quieting, day 3

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: Habakkuk 2:18-20

Reading for Reflection:

     Retire from the world each day to some private spot, even if it be only the bedroom (for a while I retreated to the furnace room for want of a better place).  Stay in the secret place till the surrounding noises begin to fade out of your heart and a sense of God’s presence envelopes you…Listen for the inward Voice till you learn to recognize it.  Stop trying to compete with others.  Give yourself to God and then be what and who you are without regard to what others think…Learn to pray inwardly every moment.  After a while you can do this even while you work….Read less, but more of what is important to your inner life.  Never let your mind remain scattered for very long.  Call home your roving thoughts.  Gaze on Christ with the eyes of your soul.  Practice spiritual concentration.  All of the above is contingent upon a right relation to God through Christ and daily meditation on the Scriptures.  Lacking these, nothing will help us; granted these, the discipline recommended will go far to neutralize the evil effects of externalism and to make us acquainted with God and our own souls. (The Pursuit of God by A. W. Tozer)

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)

quieting, day 2

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: Mark 1:29-39

Reading for Reflection:

Somewhere we know that without a lonely place our lives are in danger.  Somewhere we know that without silence words lose their meaning, that without listening speaking no longer heals, without distance closeness cannot cure.  Somewhere we know that without a lonely place our actions quickly become empty gestures.  The careful balance between silence and words, withdrawal and involvement, distance and closeness, solitude and community forms the basis of the Christian life and should therefore be the subjects of our most personal attention.  Let us therefore look somewhat closer, first at our life in action, and at our life in solitude. (Out of Solitude by Henri J. M. Nouwen)

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)

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)

spaciousness, day 7

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

Opening Prayer:
Teach me, God to make room for you in all the events and affairs of my days. Then I shall find rest. Then I will be at peace with myself and with you. (Norman Shawchuck in A Guide To Prayer for All Who Seek God)

Psalm for the Week: Psalm 18

Scripture for the Day: Psalm 37:1-11

Reading for Reflection:

“Think glorious thoughts of God—and serve Him with a quiet mind!”  And it is surely a fact that the more glorious and more spacious our thoughts of Him are, the greater the quietude and confidence with which we do our detailed work will be.  Not controversial thoughts, or narrow conventional thoughts, or dry academic thoughts, or anxious worried thoughts.  All these bring contraction instead of expansion to our souls; and we all know that this inner sense of contraction or expansion is the unfailing test of our spiritual state.  (The House of the Soul and Concerning the Inner Life by Evelyn Underhill)

     Our journey toward abundant living is like walking a spiritual labyrinth repeatedly, from and ever deepening inner space.  We walk toward the center to be transformed by God’s love; then we walk outward to transform our small space in the world by reflecting God’s love.  There is no intention to trick us or get us lost along the journey.  But there is mystery.  Always mystery.  And awe.  And amazing grace. (Abundance by Marilyn Brown Oden)

Reflection and Listening: silent and written

Prayer: for the church, for others, for myself

Song for the Week: How Deep the Father’s Love for Us

            How deep the Father's love for us

            How vast beyond all measure

            That He would give His only Son

To make a wretch His treasure

How great the pain of searing loss

The Father turns His face away

As wounds which mar the chosen One

Bring many sons to glory

Behold the Man upon a cross

My guilt upon His shoulders

Ashamed, I hear my mocking voice

Call out among the scoffers

It was my sin that held Him there

Until it was accomplished

His dying breath has brought me life

I know that it is finished

I will not boast in anything

No gifts, no power, no wisdom

But I will boast in Jesus Christ

His death and resurrection

Why should I gain from His reward?

I cannot give an answer

But this I know with all my heart

His wounds have paid my ransom

Closing Prayer:

O Lord, the house of my soul is too small for you to enter: make it more spacious by your coming.

                                                                                       ~St. Augustine

spaciousness, day 6

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

Opening Prayer:
Teach me, God to make room for you in all the events and affairs of my days. Then I shall find rest. Then I will be at peace with myself and with you. (Norman Shawchuck in A Guide To Prayer for All Who Seek God)

Psalm for the Week: Psalm 18

Scripture for the Day: Matthew 6:5-6

Reading for Reflection:

     Simplicity and regularity are the best guides in finding our way.  They allow us to make the discipline of solitude as much a part of our daily lives as eating and sleeping.  When that happens, our noisy worries will slowly lose their power over us and the renewing activity of God’s Spirit will slowly make its presence known.

     Although the discipline of solitude asks us to set aside time and space, what finally matters is that our hearts become like quiet [rooms] where God can dwell, wherever we go and whatever we do. (Making All Things New by Henri J. M. Nouwen)

“The further up and further in you go, the bigger everything gets.  The inside is larger than the outside.”

     Lucy looked hard at the garden and saw that it was not really a garden at all but a whole world, with its own rivers and woods and sea and mountains.  But they were not strange: she knew them all.

     “I see,” she said, “this is still Narnia, and more real and more beautiful than Narnia down below….I see…world within world, Narnia within Narnia.”

     “Yes,” said Mr. Tumnus, “like an onion: except that as you continue to go in and in, each circle is larger than the last.” (The Last Battle by C. S. Lewis)

Reflection and Listening: silent and written

Prayer: for the church, for others, for myself

Song for the Week: How Deep the Father’s Love for Us

            How deep the Father's love for us

            How vast beyond all measure

            That He would give His only Son

To make a wretch His treasure

How great the pain of searing loss

The Father turns His face away

As wounds which mar the chosen One

Bring many sons to glory

Behold the Man upon a cross

My guilt upon His shoulders

Ashamed, I hear my mocking voice

Call out among the scoffers

It was my sin that held Him there

Until it was accomplished

His dying breath has brought me life

I know that it is finished

I will not boast in anything

No gifts, no power, no wisdom

But I will boast in Jesus Christ

His death and resurrection

Why should I gain from His reward?

I cannot give an answer

But this I know with all my heart

His wounds have paid my ransom

Closing Prayer:

O Lord, the house of my soul is too small for you to enter: make it more spacious by your coming.

                                                                                        ~St. Augustine