The first time she asked me to participate, I flat out said, “No!” The second time she extended an invitation, I gave her a slightly more theologically informed answer, “Let me pray about it and get back to you,” knowing I was really just trying to dodge the question. The third time, I began to warm up to the possibility and said, “Okay, tell me more about the Spiritual Formation Academy.”
It’s a good thing that parishioners are patient with their pastors. You see Cathy Bowen, the dean of the Spiritual Formation Academy in Virginia and a member of the church where I was serving on staff, she knew all too well the tactics we take to avoid silence and solitude before a holy God. So, she smiled and kindly explained to me more about the 5-day Academy that she and others were planning:
“Well, the Academy invites participants to spend time apart in a Christian retreat setting with worship at the center. Faculty present on a particular theme and participants are offered time and space to respond to this theme through silence, written and spoken word, prayer, worship, and community sharing. In general, we follow the rhythm of monastic life with 12 hours of engagement and 12 hours of silence.”
Then we sat there in silence for a good long while. She waited patiently for me to respond. I fidgeted and looked off into the distance. Clearly, one of us was more comfortable with silence! When I gained my composure, I asked, “What in God’s name do you do during the 12 hours of silence? Honestly, that sounds awful.” She responded, “You pray. You walk in nature. You sleep. You listen for God to speak…. I know it might seem foreign to you now, but you’ll actually learn to love it, and maybe even long for it when you return home.”
Of course, she was right. The fourth time she asked, I relented and said, “Okay. I will try it. But I doubt I’ll like it.”
As it turns out, the 5-Day Academy was exactly what my soul needed. Silence. Solitude. Time away from all the noise to ponder the goodness of the Almighty. An invitation for me to stop talking long enough that the Lord might get a word in edge wise. To remember fully that I am beloved as a child of God, worthy of the life and family and church that God has blessed me with every day.
This weekend, we explored the question God asked Elijah, "What are you doing here?" and the need we all have to intentionally STOP and rest on a regular basis. I wonder when the last time was that you sought out a place to be still and quiet before God. For it is often here, like the prophet Elijah, that we discover God speaks to us most clearly in a gentle whisper.
Pray
Dear God, help me to seek the quiet places where I may hear your voice speaking directly to me. I know that if I can sit still long enough by myself, I might discover healing and new life indeed! Amen.
Reflect
- When have you experienced exhaustion or burnout? What was it (or is it) like? How do you feel like God used that in your life – what do you think God was doing in those seasons?
- Prior to Elijah’s journey to the cave, God provides Elijah with food and sleep. How does this story help us see the deep connection between our spirit and body? What role does our physical well-being play in our spiritual health? When do you take time to stop and how have you learned to do that?
- We’re often looking for God in the wind, earthquake, and fire – but often God’s ways are much more ordinary. How does God meeting Elijah in a gentle, quiet whisper go against much of our Christian cultural expectations that God tends to work or speak to us in extraordinary ways? How does God speak to you? How do you know it is God speaking?
- How will you respond to God’s question this week? Think of ways that you can intentionally stop, find rest, tell God about the things on your heart, and then listen for God’s still, quiet whisper.
To learn more about The Academy for Spiritual Formation hosted by the Upper Room go to: https://academy.upperroom.org/
