You’re my quiet place of retreat;
I wait for Your Word to renew me.
— Psalm 119:114, The Message
It can be hard to find a quiet place. Siren songs are everywhere: the favorite television show; going out for dinner with friends; kids needing help with homework; the unanswered email or tweet. None of those things are bad—in fact, some of them are quite good—but they can keep a person from experiencing quiet, stillness.
It’s important to make room for it. Without the quiet, it’s easy to spiral out of control or to flit from one thing to another. Rest is desired, but darting from one solution or idea is not the way to obtain it. Rest, quiet require intentionality, commitment, a purposeful slowing of one’s mind, heart, and actions.
What comes to mind is the practice of shabbat. The Jewish week hinges on it. The time orders days, hearts, and lives. Everything is a frenzy before sundown, then sundown comes. The candles are lit. God is invited into the place, a space that is simultaneously ordinary and sacred.
Perspectives change. Stress disappears. Honor, delight, and laughter fill the halls. In this quiet place, a person is secure, set free. One has no fear. Love and truth fill the room and calm the frenetic heart. God speaks, and the heart is finally quiet and open enough to hear it.
Image: Thom Walker