Title: Seeking Silence
Influences for Further Study
Ruth Haley Barton – Invitation to Silence and Solitude
Henri Nouwen – The Way of the Heart
Parker J Palmer – Let Your Life Speak
John Mark Comer – Ruthless Elimination of Hurry
Erwin McManus – The Artisan Soul
Luke 5:12-16
12 While he was in one of the towns, a man was there who had leprosy[d] all over him. He saw Jesus, fell facedown, and begged him, “Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean.”
13 Reaching out his hand, Jesus touched him, saying, “I am willing; be made clean,” and immediately the leprosy left him. 14 Then he ordered him to tell no one: “But go and show yourself to the priest, and offer what Moses commanded for your cleansing as a testimony to them.”
15 But the news about him spread even more, and large crowds would come together to hear him and to be healed of their sicknesses. 16 Yet he often withdrew to deserted places and prayed.
The Practice of Silence and Solitude
“Solitude … is the place where Christ remodels us in his own image and frees us from the victimising compulsions of the world.” – Henri Nouwen, The Way of the Heart
Silence and Solitude are the physical acts of the until there is only your soul and God.
“We are starved for quiet, to hear the sound of sheer silence that is the presence of God himself.” – Ruth Haley Barton, Invitation to Silence and Solitude
“The soul speaks its truth only under quiet, inviting and trustworthy conditions.” – Parker Palmer, Let Your Life Speak
Meditation vs Meditation
The Uncomfort of Silence and Solitude
Matthew 4:1-2
4 Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. 2 After he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was hungry.
Jesus was tempted by Satan to his mission and identity from his Father.
In the quiet, God expose and these things from our lives.
“The soul is like a wild animal … but if we are willing to walk quietly into the woods and sit silently for an hour or two at the base of a tree, the creature we are waiting for may emerge, and of the corner of an eye we will catch a glimpse of the precious wildness we seek.” – Parker Palmer
The of our heart is more important than the of our rituals.
Humility is the Prime Motivator
We our heart through our daily choices.
Ephesians 4: 1-2
1 Therefore I, the prisoner in the Lord, urge you to walk worthy of the calling you have received, 2 with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, 3 making every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.
“Who do we become when we stop allowing all the voices in our head to crowd out the one voice we must hear to come to life?” – Erwin McManus
1 Kings 19:8-13
8 So he got up, ate, and drank. Then on the strength from that food, he walked forty days and forty nights to Horeb, the mountain of God. 9 He entered a cave there and spent the night. Suddenly, the word of the Lord came to him, and he said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”
10 He replied, “I have been very zealous for the Lord God of Armies, but the Israelites have abandoned your covenant, torn down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword. I alone am left, and they are looking for me to take my life.”
11 Then he said, “Go out and stand on the mountain in the Lord’s presence.” At that moment, the Lord passed by. A great and mighty wind was tearing at the mountains and was shattering cliffs before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. 12 After the earthquake there was a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire there was a voice, a soft whisper. 13 When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave.
Suddenly, a voice came to him and said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”
QFR: What was the last question God asked you?
Rhythms to practice this week:
- Choose not to look at your phone with your morning coffee this week.
- Make an appointment with God. Put it on the calendar and resist the urge to fill the time, instead practicing Silence & Solitude.
- Take a walk or run without listening to music or a podcast.
- Don’t put music on during your morning commute.
- Practice breath prayers for a few minutes every day. Focus your mind with a simple prayer on each breath in and out.
Psalm 46:10 “Be still, and know that I am God.”
Seeking Silence (part of Wisdom in the Wilderness)
Influences for Further Study
Ruth Haley Barton – Invitation to Silence and Solitude
Henri Nouwen – The Way of the Heart
Parker J Palmer – Let Your Life Speak
John Mark Comer – Ruthless Elimination of Hurry
Erwin McManus – The Artisan Soul
Luke 5:12-16
12 While he was in one of the towns, a man was there who had leprosy[d] all over him. He saw Jesus, fell facedown, and begged him, “Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean.”
13 Reaching out his hand, Jesus touched him, saying, “I am willing; be made clean,” and immediately the leprosy left him. 14 Then he ordered him to tell no one: “But go and show yourself to the priest, and offer what Moses commanded for your cleansing as a testimony to them.”
15 But the news about him spread even more, and large crowds would come together to hear him and to be healed of their sicknesses. 16 Yet he often withdrew to deserted places and prayed.
he Practice of Silence and Solitude
“Solitude … is the place where Christ remodels us in his own image and frees us from the victimising compulsions of the world.” – Henri Nouwen, The Way of the Heart
Silence and Solitude are the physical acts of reducing the inputs until there is only your soul and God.
“We are starved for quiet, to hear the sound of sheer silence that is the presence of God himself.” – Ruth Haley Barton, Invitation to Silence and Solitude
“The soul speaks its truth only under quiet, inviting and trustworthy conditions.” – Parker Palmer, Let Your Life Speak
Eastern Meditation vs Christian Meditation
The Uncomfort of Silence and Solitude
Matthew 4:1-2
4 Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. 2 After he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was hungry.
Jesus was tempted by Satan to achieve his mission and identity apart from his Father.
In the quiet, God helps expose and remove these things from our lives.
“The soul is like a wild animal … but if we are willing to walk quietly into the woods and sit silently for an hour or two at the base of a tree, the creature we are waiting for may emerge, and of the corner of an eye we will catch a glimpse of the precious wildness we seek.” – Parker Palmer
The posture of our heart is more important than the practice of our rituals.
Humility is the Prime Motivator
We reveal our heart through our daily choices.
Ephesians 4: 1-2
1 Therefore I, the prisoner in the Lord, urge you to walk worthy of the calling you have received, 2 with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, 3 making every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.
“Who do we become when we stop allowing all the voices in our head to crowd out the one voice we must hear to come to life?” – Erwin McManus
1 Kings 19:8-13
8 So he got up, ate, and drank. Then on the strength from that food, he walked forty days and forty nights to Horeb, the mountain of God. 9 He entered a cave there and spent the night. Suddenly, the word of the Lord came to him, and he said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”
10 He replied, “I have been very zealous for the Lord God of Armies, but the Israelites have abandoned your covenant, torn down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword. I alone am left, and they are looking for me to take my life.”
11 Then he said, “Go out and stand on the mountain in the Lord’s presence.” At that moment, the Lord passed by. A great and mighty wind was tearing at the mountains and was shattering cliffs before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. 12 After the earthquake there was a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire there was a voice, a soft whisper. 13 When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave.
Suddenly, a voice came to him and said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”
QFR: What was the last question God asked you?
Rhythms to practice this week:
Choose not to look at your phone with your morning coffee this week.
Make an appointment with God. Put it on the calendar and resist the urge to fill the time, instead practicing Silence & Solitude.
Take a walk or run without listening to music or a podcast.
Don’t put music on during your morning commute.
Practice breath prayers for a few minutes every day. Focus your mind with a simple prayer on each breath in and out.
Psalm 46:10 “Be still, and know that I am God.”