I Wonder--April 19

For the last couple days I have spent time considering prayer. As important as prayer is to our spiritual lives and our relationship with God, I wonder about the power of silence? And although silence seems counter-intuitive when consider the practice of prayer, which feels like talking to God, maybe there is a convergence point to consider. 

Paul Tournier, who was a Swiss doctor and counselor, was interviewed in 1984 about silence and the work that God called him to do as a physician. Consider this exert from that text: 

"QUESTION: Doctors are among the busiest people in our day. It is significant, therefore, that it is a doctor who emphasizes for us the importance of silence, of mediation. Why? 

'TOURNIER: Modern people lack silence. They no longer lead their own lives; they are dragged along by events. It is a race against the clock. . . If your life is chock-full already, there won't be any room for anything else. Even God can't get anything else in. So it becomes essential to cut something out.' "

Although this interview took place nearly 40 years ago, Tournier's words are quite applicable to us in this culture. His question, or the meaning of his response, is that we must find something to cut out of our lives in order to create the space for God to fill us. 

And so today, I again wonder about the power of silence in your life? 

What one thing could you cut out of your day, right now, right in this moment, that would help you to find space to be a little more attentive to God's voice and direction?