In Knowing God, We Come To Know Ourselves

“Be still and know that I am God” (Ps. 46: 10). How do we learn to be still? What can we do? There are answers to these questions. They may seem simple but as the old saying goes, “Looks can be deceiving”. The answer to both questions is to cultivate the habits of silence and solitude, to make them a part of every day’s schedule. Why are these things not as easy as saying them?

The reality for all of us in our times is that we live in the kingdom of Busyness and Noise. For most of us, silence is as ‘rare as hens’ teeth’. We have become so habituated to noise that, ironically, we have come to believe it soothes us. I go for long walks daily and pass by other walkers or runners wearing earbuds, or even talking on their cell phones. They cannot seem to be able to separate themselves from their phones, fearing that they might miss something. They are listening to music, or some favored podcast, or the news. They are oblivious to the sounds of nature around them, the wind in the trees, or the beautiful songs of the many varieties of birds. In reality, though, it is only when we seek out silence that we can hear the Spirit whispering within us, saying, “Be still and know that I am God.” Yet silence seems to be threatening to many, and it is more often than not experienced as quite uncomfortable.

This is true about solitude as well. We fear loneliness, but loneliness is not the same as solitude. When we are lonely, we feel disconnected from ourselves, others, and even God. It is no wonder, then, that loneliness is feared. But those who believe and have a relationship with God are never completely alone, for God is intimately present to us in every place, in every moment. God is closer to us than we are to ourselves. It is true, of course, that it takes courage to enter solitude. But courage enables us to encounter and confront the things that are in our hearts, the things that cause our fears. It is here where we also encounter the One who waits in the silence and solitude of our hearts with infinite patience and with a love for us that is more intimate than that of our lover or our friend. It is in developing the habit of willingly going into silence and solitude in prayer that we come to know God and his love for us.

When we face our fears with courage, we overcome them, and we see them for what they are. Going into silence and solitude is like entering the desert. It is a crucible where we enter the wilderness of our hearts, where we encounter the impurities that separate us from our true selves and God. In encountering those impurities honestly and courageously, we can offer them up to the purifying fire of God’s loving and generous mercy. It is in this intimate, personal relationship with God in the silence and solitude of our hearts that we begin to know God and ourselves in the light of his great love. It is then that genuine prayer begins.

This is the reason for purposely finding or creating those places of solitude and silence where we can take ourselves apart to pray. It is in solitude and silence that we can develop the necessary focus and attentiveness to encounter God’s real presence that is within and around us at all times. We can come to know Jesus, who has fought and won the battle before us, more personally and more intimately. When we regularly enter into the silent desert of our hearts alone with Jesus, we become more able to detach ourselves from our egos, our false selves, and the things that separate us from God, from others, and ourselves. The more we can detach ourselves from these things, the stronger our relationship with God becomes. And the stronger our relationship with God grows, so too will our relationship with others grow.

This is why we need these places of solitude and silence, these moments of prayer, in our daily lives. The more we come to know the truth that God is God, and we are not, the more we are enabled to become our truest selves. It is in this holy crucible of solitude and silence that we encounter the knowledge that begins, with the help of God’s grace, to liberate us from our false selves and all of the impurities that divide us from God, ourselves, and others. Finally, it is in this prayerful practice of going into silence and solitude with Jesus that we discover a truly comforting and profound truth: we are never alone. Thanks be to God! Amen.