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Silent Listening

April 28, 2015 By Jean Wise

healthyspirituality.org

I love words so spending multiple days at a silent retreat draws me out of my comfort zone. But I have learned to value my annual silent retreats as deepening experience and nourishment to my soul. What are some of the benefits of entering into a grand silence to hear the whispers of God?

Silent is a wonderful, yet challenging word. Mother Teresa said, “We need to find God, and he cannot be found in noise and restlessness. God is the friend of silence. See how nature – trees, flowers, grass – grows in silence; see the stars, the moon and the sun, how they move in silence. We need silence to be able to touch souls.”

Use the word silent as an anagram. An anagram rearranges or unscrambles the letters of one word to create a new word. The result is: SILENT = LISTEN.

Like an anagram, silent listening rearranges, unscrambles, reorganizes and reorders my spirit:

Silent listening rearranges my thoughts, providing clarity and a new sense of direction and meaning.

Silent listening unscrambles my prayers affirming who I am and Whose I am. I am His beloved child forever.

Silent listening reorganizes my priorities to live daily in God’s will, not mine. If I stay only in my will, that fruit will spoil. Only within God’s will, will God’s fruit be produced. Ahh, the folly of my own self-effort.

Silent listening reorders my focus creating new energy to glorify God, not myself.

I am filled with self-doubt, second-guessing, and restlessness in the first hours of a silent retreat. When I finally let go and just rest in God, the time spent in his closeness refreshes my soul and provides signposts to help me on my life’s journey.

He showers me with surprises, insights and wisdom to light my path.

God did give me a surprise on the retreat several year ago. He gave me a new prayer, one I have been praying frequently and continue to pray the last few years. If fact I find myself awakening at night with these words on my lips as something or Someone deep within my soul prays the words for me:

“Lord I ask for an undivided heart, fully dependent and devoted only to you.”

I encourage you to take the risk and dive deep into an experience of silent listening.

True silence is the rest of the mind; it is to the spirit what sleep is to the body, nourishment and refreshment.  ~William Penn

Do you like silence? How does it help you spiritually?

 

 

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Comments

  1. Ceil says

    April 29, 2015 at 10:19 am

    Hi Jean! I’m with Lisa, I love silence. My head is so busy! When I sit quietly and invite Christ into my heart, it’s like permission for my brain to start endlessly firing. I realize how overburdened I am, and I just revel in the grace poured out in the quiet. So life-giving.

    I’m glad you enjoyed your experience so much. I would love to try a silent retreat sometime, as long as they had a spiritual director to talk to once a day. It’s good to be directed. May God answer your prayers with a renewed love for his Word and works.
    Blessings,
    Ceil

  2. blankDolly @ Soulstops.com says

    April 28, 2015 at 7:37 pm

    Jean,
    What a gem of a prayer:
    “Lord I ask for an undivided heart, fully dependent and devoted only to you.” Thanks for sharing it…and yes, silence…with each year, I treasure it more and need it more 🙂

    • blankJean Wise says

      May 5, 2015 at 9:40 pm

      I should have known you would like silence too. That prayer is one I cling to and pray silently often. Helps me to center.

  3. blankLisa notes... says

    April 28, 2015 at 12:57 pm

    I wonder if it’s possible to like silence too much? Because I definitely love it. 🙂 I love interactions and relationships and other things too, but silence definitely holds a special place for me.

  4. blankMartha Orlando says

    April 28, 2015 at 10:57 am

    I LOVE silence, Jean! It is in the stillness when I hear God’s voice the best. Wonderful reflection!
    Blessings!

Healthy Spirituality – a sacred space to nurture your faith, grow closer to God, and belong to a community, walking together on life’s journey. This blog is written by author, speaker and retreat leader Jean Wise

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