More often than not these days, I am awakened early in the morning by chattering thoughts bouncing around in my head like unruly children. I try to still them by breathing and focusing on a one word mantra, but to no avail, so I get up, start the coffee and write my busy thoughts down. I certainly don't want to forget whatever my mind thinks is so important.
Once the "storm" of thoughts is acknowledged and written down, I am better able to find a still point as I breathe slowly and repeat "peace, be still" to myself. This process brings to mind the story of Elijah in 1 Kings 19:9-12 in which he spends the night in a cave seeking the word of the Lord:
Then He said, “Go out, and stand on the mountain before the Lord.” And behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind tore into the mountains and broke the rocks in pieces before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake; and after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire a still small voice.
Interesting..."A still small voice" is how God speaks, like the silence after a thunderstorm has passed by:
"After the wind, earthquake and fire, the Hebrew text says there was the qôl dem̆ āmâ daqqâ. In Hebrew that literally means, the sound of thin or sheer silence, like we experience after a storm has passed. In fact, dem̆ āmâ is used precisely that way by a psalmist (Psalm 107.29). The NRSV translates it literally as “the sound of sheer silence.”
Can you “hear” silence?
Is silence a voice that God uses to speak his Word to us?
I think the answer to both of those questions is
yes. Silence is what makes possible a true hearing; it gives "hospitality" or place for the Word to be spoken, welcomed and given sanctuary in our hearts..."
( https://www.gen215.org)
I am encouraged by the above commentary to think of "the Word" as a living, breathing thing that is "given sanctuary in our hearts" as we create space by spending time in silence, letting go of our busy, chattering thoughts, our worries, our anxiety...writing them down or imagining them floating away like tiny balloons.
As we make space for silence, we can open our hearts and just listen for awhile. We may be surprised at what we hear.
