Silence

1 Kings 19:9-13 (NRSV) At that place (Elijah) came to a cave, and spent the night there. Then the word of the LORD came to him, saying, "What are you doing here, Elijah?" He answered, "I have been very zealous for the LORD, the God of hosts; for the Israelites have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword. I alone am left, and they are seeking my life, to take it away." He said, "Go out and stand on the mountain before the LORD, for the LORD is about to pass by." Now there was a great wind, so strong that it was splitting mountains and breaking 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 sound of sheer silence. When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. Then there came a voice to him that said, "What are you doing here, Elijah?"  The sound of sheer silence.  Have you ever heard it? It seems here that that silence must have been deafening to Elijah.  It was enough to move him out of his hiding place and face God.   Silence is often deafening to me.  I tend to be prone to insomnia and rapid and distracted thoughts, and often silence itself seems to swallow me up.  It's when the thoughts move most rapidly. Like Elijah, I always tended to look for God in big places.  I'd see God in the wide expanse of ocean or the howling wind. Yet, Elijah was perceptive and discerning enough to know that it was in the silence where God dwelled. We live in a time where silence itself has been swallowed up by the myriad of stuff in our life.  There is a low hum of noise almost everywhere. I've found that when I've created a time of silence each morning - begun to train my thoughts in that time with focus and prayer, that I've also begun to notice things that I hadn't before.  God indeed in the silence.  God in the quiet moments asking what I am doing. It's hard if it isn't your custom.  If silence makes you squirm as it did - and still often does - me.  But it is also rich with promise, pulling us into God's presence.   A prayer I've learned that helped me on that way is following.  It requires some focused breathing.  Breath in and out a few times deeply and try to time this prayer as a whisper on your breath: Be still and know that I am God. Be still and know that I am. Be still and know. Be still. Be.