Silent Retreat

In Revelation chapter 8 verse 1 we read, "When he opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour." 

Close your eyes for five minutes. 300 seconds. Turn off your music. Turn off the TV. Close your books, your homework. Put down your phone, set aside that email that needs to be written. And just sit. For 300 seconds. In silence.

Five minutes doesn't seem like too much time in the scheme of things. But silence is something that unnerves us. We live in a world that "stop"  isn't a word in our vocabulary, where sitting with others in a room, not talking, is uncomfortable; and where reflection and times of silent confession causes nervous laughter, coughing and shuffling as we try as hard as we can to sit still.

So imagine what it might have been like to sit in silence for a half an hour, in heaven no less. Our view and ideas of heaven always include singing praises, worshiping and joyfully participating in fellowship with our brothers and sisters in Christ, but never do we really imagine silence. But there it was, Jesus, the Lamb who was slain, was opening the seven seals that would soon deliver consequences to the earthly kingdom. All the attention, all eyes were focused on the Son of God. I can only speculate what happened in that moment, can only wonder what they felt as they silently focused completely on Jesus. 

For class we were encouraged to take 3 hours. Yes 3 hours. to sit in silence with God. To put down our phones, set aside our computers, turn off our TVs and sit with God. We were encouraged to read our Bible, to spend time in prayer and to contemplate on how God is trying to speak to us.

I will be the first to admit that my reaction to this assignment was not a positive one. It was more of a "really, when do you think I have 3 consecutive hours to give to sit in silence? I already find myself needing extra hours in the day to get things done." But there was something about the way that Professor Hoogeboom talked about this Silent Retreat of sorts that intrigued me, enough to give it a try.

Participating in my own Silent Retreat was something that I had to really be active about having happen. I decided that the best way for me to be able to spend 3 hours with God, without doing anything else, was to get up early before class and work one day and so that is what I did. I wish that I could say it was the best 3 hours of my week, that it was a time of enlightenment in my relationship with God, but I can't. Don't get me wrong, it was a blessing, but it was frustrating before it was a blessing. I am not used to sitting still, to being quiet and I am certainly not used to doing those things while not being busy with something else at the same time. 

I walked away from that time with an understanding of the importance of spending time with God while limiting the distractions around me; and I think that if I practiced this habit, this practice more often, it would get easier and not only easier but it would be something that I would want to do, not something that I did only because I was assigned it. That is my hope for the future.

I challenge you. Try spending a half hour in silence with God. If you have time for it, spend an hour or two. Read your Bible, pray, meditate and revel in the love and awe that comes from being in the presence of God.