Silence, solitude and stillness seem to be the markers of the contemplative path.
Let’s talk about each posture and why they are important.
During my interview on the Pilgrim Podcast, Lacy Carter Ellman referred to silence, solitude and stillness as the trinity of contemplation.
Silence
It is nice to take a break and be silent.
God is in both the noise and the silence.
Just because we become silent does not mean there is no noise around us.
When we become silent, we get out of the way and open to God.
This time is not about us.
It is about how we can deepen our intimate relationship with God.
It is about how we continue to fall in love with God.
It is a time we set aside to let God love us.
I do this as part of my centering prayer practice.
I become silent, open to God and let God pray in me.
It is like a reverse prayer.
It is a very comforting and healing type of prayer.
I rest in the arms of God during this time.
Solitude
It is nice to sit in silence with God.
It is like when we sit with a lover or friend.
Words do not always need to be said.
We simply enjoy each other’s company.
We can also sit in silence in community.
We might do this as part of a centering prayer group or other meditation group.
The traditional Quaker service is a silent sit performed in community.
Whether alone or in community, we sit in silence with our Maker.
Stillness
Stillness means we stop—or better yet, let go of—the inner chatter and open our whole being, body, mind and soul, to God who is beyond our thoughts, emotions and physical sensations.
We observe the inner chatter and then ever so gently let it go.
We do not judge, react, or analyze it.
Again, my silent prayer practice is centering prayer, which includes a stilling of my mind and body.
There are contemplative paths that involve physical movement: walking, photography, drawing, painting.
They, like centering prayer, include a stillness of inner chatter.
Inner stillness opens us to God.
We learn how to be.
We learn how to be in the presence of God.
We learn how to rest in God.
Next Steps
What are the voices we hear in our head that tell us things that really are not true?
We seem to tell ourselves to fear, worry, overanalyze, obsess, and stop any future action.
Silence is how we discover who we are!
We are loved by God more than we can imagine.
Our God is delighted that we have taken the time to sit and be prayed in.
It comforts me that God prays in me!
God plants within us inner nudges for future actions we may be invited to take—or perhaps not take.
Sometimes God just wishes to slow us down so we can see, hear, smell, taste and touch things that we never noticed before.
New to centering prayer?
I created a free guide to help you begin.
Download the free Centering Prayer guide here.
Already practicing centering prayer?
If you want help making it a consistent daily practice, Sit Quietly with God is my 30-day guided journey.
Learn more here.