The Sound of Silence

Meditations for Ragamuffins

September 26, 2023

The Sound of Silence 

“When the Lamb broke the seventh seal on the scroll, there was silence throughout heaven for about half an hour.”

Revelation 8:1

Several years ago, I hosted Phileena Heuertz as the speaker for a Spiritual Formation Weekend. In preparation, I read her book, Pilgrimage of a Soul: Contemplative Spirituality for the Active Life. The book is an autobiographical account of Phileena’s pilgrimage to Camino De Santiago which was followed by a six-month sabbatical. Her experience was an encounter with the Dark Night of the Soul as described by Saint John of the Cross. The silence of God was her close traveling companion during much of her pilgrimage and sabbatical.

I too have experienced encounters in the dark night with my soul laid bare. I too experienced the sound of silence. But in retrospect, I am coming to understand the silence was not so much that my companion, the Holy Comforter, was silent, as it was that I wasn’t listening. Perhaps it is better stated, I wasn’t listening for the truth my companion was offering to me.

The only true silence I can recall experiencing was the twelve hours, or there about, that I was under anesthesia during my cardiac bypass surgery several years ago. I have absolutely no recollection of those hours. No dreams, no sensations, no sounds until I heard the whirl of the various and sundry medical instruments attached to me when I woke up in ICU. It has been my experience that apart from those few hours in never-never land, my life is filled with sound. Sometimes that sound is audible, sometimes the sound emanates from the ruminations of my seldom-at-rest brain.

But I am learning to rest and appreciate the sound of silence. I like this time the best because that’s when I hear the Holy Comforter speaking to me. Sometimes the Comforter speaks to me through scripture. Sometimes the Comforter is speaking from behind the far mountain range, sometimes he’s on the side of the hill by the wild turkeys, sometimes he speaks through the symphony of the bees in our flowering cherry tree in early spring. Sometimes I hear him from the blossoms of the crepe myrtles, and sometimes he’s in the thunder or the splendor of the morning sunrise. Always he’s speaking of the glory of Creation and the Creator’s love for all He has set His hand to, especially those created in His image.

My Takeaway: Revelation 8:1 tells us “there was silence throughout heaven for about half an hour.” I take that as an indication that silence is extraordinary in the Kingdom of God. I take that as an invitation to listen more carefully, especially for the voice of God in the silence.

In recent months, I have grown in appreciation for Celtic Benediction, Morning and Night Prayer by J. Phillip Newell. His prayers are drawn from the Celtic tradition’s glory in God’s creation.

Sē’lah

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(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

 

These meditations are written by Alex M. Knight as he seeks the life in Christ as his way of life.  The meditations are published on the BLOG, http://seekingthelifeinchrist.blogspot.com/ and they are also distributed on the Constant Contact email server. You may subscribe to this email service by sending an email to: amkrom812@gmail.com.

 

Copyright © 2023 by Alex M. Knight

 

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.