Oases

Yesterday we read the challenge of Ps. 46:10 Be still and know that I am God.; I will be exalted...  And it is a challenge.  Pascal claimed that 'most of man's troubles come from his not being able to sit quietly in his room.'  The truth is that some of us temperamentally find it difficult to sit quietly in a room.  I find it is a discipline that demands practice.  But coming to terms with silence is vital for self-knowledge and for prayer.

I read these words recently (From Kenneth Leech, Soul Friend):
The purpose of silence is to allow the heart to be still and to listen to God. To build up inner resources of silence and stillness is one of the central tasks of training in prayer. In a culture which has almost outlawed silence, it is a matter of urgency that Christians create oases, centres in which inner silence can be cultivated.

I'm trying to discipline my own little oasis.  And I have been helped by Sue Jeffreys' prayer:

Help me Lord to find time to be quiet. Sometimes my ears get so bombarded with noise that I don't hear anything. Help me to learn to listen. If I begin to hear tiny sounds - quiet breathing, the murmur of bees, the rustling of leaves; then we may begin to hear what people are trying to say to us. And what YOU may be saying. Let me remember the deaf in their loneliness and isolation. But we may be isolated by noise. Open my ears, Lord.  Amen.

I'm trying with the Lord's help!