Silence and Stillness
Silence and Stillness
Monday January 29, 2018
I once heard the story of a very successful husband, father, and businessman named John who one day woke up feeling lost and feeling as if his entire life had become meaningless. His problem was that he knew how he felt he just did not know why he felt the way that he did. He was able to describe a very busy and exiting life full of accomplishments but when he reflected upon himself, he could not figure out who he had become. He was able to list all of his accomplishments but somehow in the midst of the noise and the demands of life, he lost sight of himself. His initial reaction was to work harder to reach new and greater goals. When that did not work, he decided he needed a hobby and so that is exactly what he did. Physical exercise, golfing, and traveling became a new part of his life. After immersing himself into these hobbies however, he soon found himself once again feeling lost and living a meaningless life.
In a desperate attempt to recover his life, John traveled to Arizona spending thousands of dollars to attend a retreat with a Tibetan monk. He told the monk how he was feeling who in turn took him to a pond. The monk picked up a stone and threw it into the pond and asked John to crouch down and look into the water. The monk then asked John, what do you see? Nothing he replied. The monk said, look again, now what do you see? Once again John answered, nothing, just rippling water. The monk turned around and as he walked away, he said: John, come and find me when you see what’s in the water. John stood staring at the water feeling like a fool and thinking, I spent thousands for this?
After staring at the water for what seemed like a long time when in fact it had only been a few minutes, the water began to settle and the ripples disappeared. Suddenly, John saw something in the water, it was his own reflection; he was able to see his own face in the water. Upon seeing his reflection, he immediately figured out his problem. He understood that he had lost himself in the noise and busyness of life and that the way back was found in silence and stillness.
The Lord said, “Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.” Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks 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. After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave. Then a voice said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” – 1 kings 19:11-13 NIV
The prophet Elijah had been a very successful man of God. One day however, he woke up to discover that he was the most wanted man on the face of the earth. His whole life had fallen apart and God seemed distant and uninterested in his dilemma. So Elijah sat down one day under a tree and asked God to take his life, then he fell asleep. Then, the Angel of the Lord woke him up and lead him to Mount Sinai where God was going to reveal himself to Elijah. A great wind passed followed by an earthquake, then there was fire but God was not in the wind, the earthquake, or the fire. Then there came a gentle whisper and suddenly Elijah was in the presence of all mighty God.
Questions:
- Have you ever become so busy that you lost sight of yourself?
- Have you ever become so busy with your responsibilities or problems that you lost sight of God?
- Where do you seek God?
- When was the last time you sought God in silence and stillness?
Prayer
Heavenly Father, the noise, the distractions, and the busyness of life have flooded my being. In the busyness of it all I have lost sight of myself, but what is worse, I have lost sight of you. I come to you today, in this quiet place away from the noise and duties of life, and in stillness and silence I enter into your presence. Bless me with the whisper and direction of your still small voice today; in Jesus’ name I pray. Amen
