From the book ‘The Power of Stillness’:
There is no “one size fits all” solutions to carving out time for deeper experiences with meditation, pondering, and prayer. But we’ve noticed that when we look at our schedules with fresh curiosity, unnecessary time drains become more visible, and small creative windows of opportunity emerge.
A little more quiet can go a long way. As the poet Rumi wrote, “The quieter we become, the more we can hear.” With excitement is his voice, President Henry B. Eyring once said the following about hearing the voice of God: “Every time it happens, I was quiet inside. . . so quiet . . . then I could hear it. I realize if I had been noisy in terms of my thinking, then I couldn’t have”.
It’s not quiet alone that is powerful. Rather the quiet prepares a space where God can work, along with a willingness to pause our own will and yield to whatever we encounter. We’ve seen how guided meditation can help clear the clutter in our minds in a way that helps connect us with God more tangibly and meaningfully.
President David O. McKay taught that people would find “most inspirational moments” coming when “you are alone with yourself and your God.” After characterizing meditation as a “form of prayer,” he then described this as ” one of the most secret, most sacred doors through which we pass into the presence of the Lord.”2
That kind of meditative prayer may require a bit more silence and stillness than we are accustomed to. Sometimes we associate “talking less” with something uncomfortable—aka “awkward silence”—in conversations with others.
But it was none other than Jesus Himself who warned against our tendency in prayer to think we will be heard by God for “much speaking,” “many words,” or “being so wordy”(according to different translations of Matthew 6:7).3
This additional silence helps ensure that we aren’t just hurriedly throwing up the first thing that comes to mind in prayer. As it states in the Bible, “Be not rash [or “impulsive” or “hasty”] with thy mouth, and let not thine heart be hasty to utter anything before God” [”nor be in a hurry to talk in God’s presence”] (Ecclesiastes 5:2).4
So, what do we do in the space that this silence might bring? Cynthia Bourgeault writes of God “as a loving presence that was always near, and prayer as a simple trust in that presence.” She goes on to describe the possibility of more stillness in prayer involving “a wordless, trusting opening of self to the divine presence,” suggesting that this is about the simplest form of prayer there is.”5
If it’s true that our love is reflected in that which we are willing to create space for (our kids, college football, reading scriptures), then prayer is a way to exercise and embody love, with God creating a space for us to create space for Him. ~Jacob Z. Hess, Carrie L. Skarda, Kyle D. Anderson, Ty R. Mansfield: ‘The Power of Stillness’ (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 2019), p.43-44
