SILENCE

¹ Praise is due to you,
O God, in Zion;
and to you shall vows be performed,
²   O you who answer prayer!
To you all flesh shall come.
³ When deeds of iniquity overwhelm us,
you forgive our transgressions.
⁴ Happy are those whom you choose and bring near
to live in your courts.
We shall be satisfied with the goodness of your house,
your holy temple.

⁵ By awesome deeds you answer us with deliverance,
O God of our salvation;
you are the hope of all the ends of the earth
and of the farthest seas.
⁶ By your^* strength you established the mountains;
you are girded with might.
⁷ You silence the roaring of the seas,
the roaring of their waves,
the tumult of the peoples.
⁸ Those who live at earth’s farthest bounds are awed by your signs;
you make the gateways of the morning and the evening shout for joy.

⁹ You visit the earth and water it,
you greatly enrich it;
the river of God is full of water;
you provide the people with grain,
for so you have prepared it.
¹⁰ You water its furrows abundantly,
settling its ridges,
softening it with showers,
and blessing its growth.
¹¹ You crown the year with your bounty;
your wagon tracks overflow with richness.
¹² The pastures of the wilderness overflow,
the hills gird themselves with joy,
¹³ the meadows clothe themselves with flocks,
the valleys deck themselves with grain,
they shout and sing together for joy.

Sometimes the clearest experience of God is when we truly experience silence. I am not too sure in this electrified, air conditioned world, I ever truly experience such silence. The closest moments would be the intentional walk in Circle B Reserve I was able to do recently. The cell service is spotty, so there are none of those auto alerts that attempt to demand my attention. Latest news alert, doesn’t reach me. The auto humming of car engines fade. And I am present. Feeling the breeze and sunshine. Pausing to take in the silence and notice nature at rest or at work. Notice God.

Prayer

O God of our salvation, may I truly notice your presence in silence. Silence the humming of my mind and my world so I can experience you and your world. May I know such joy and such peace and not the tumult of the peoples. Amen.