Thank you Katie for your very thoughtful lesson
"Quiet Time"
Katie provided a list of quotes, scriptures and other written material about the topic.
Quiet Time by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Let us then labor for an inward stillness--
An inward stillness and an inward healing;
That perfect silence, where the lips and heart
Are still and we no longer entertain
Our own imperfect thoughts and vain opinions,
But God alone speaks in us, and we wait
In singleness of heart, that we may know
His will and in the silence of our spirits
That we may do His will, and do that only.
Quotes from A Quiet Heart by Patricia Holland
“President Gordon B. Hinckley has spoken often of meditation. My husband has commented on how often, in speaking to the First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve, he has asked that they make sure they take time for thoughtfulness, for pondering, for introspection, for meditation. He often refers to a statement of President David O. McKay: ‘Meditation is the language of the soul. It is defined as ‘a form of private devotion, or spiritual exercise, consisting in deep, continued reflection on some religious theme.’”
“Somewhere in our lives there must be time and room for such personal communion. Somewhere in our lives there must be time and room for the celestial realities we say we believe in--or when will millenial peace be ours?
The kind of contemplation, reflection, and yearning for God I am speaking of can’t be accomplished very handily in competition with cellular phones, computers, or a blaring TV. God can enter our realm only at our invitation. He stands at the door and knocks always, but someone has to hear that knock and let him enter. In this effort we ought to do whatever we can to make our houses--or our apartments or our condominiums--the templs, quite literally, that God intends them to be. Places for the Spirit of the Lord to dwell. Places for meditation, contemplation, prayer, and study. Places where good conversation and charity out of a pure heart can be present. Places where we find the fulness of God.”
“We do need to charitably share and serve--emotionally and spiritually as well as temporally--but we must fill ourselves at the fountain of living water, at the feet of our Heavenly Father himself, or we have nothing of real strength to give. When we connect with God, then we will connect with others honestly and compassionately. When we pay the price to see God, we become aware of how closely connected we are to each other.”
“In the book of Revelation, John writes metaphorically of a woman representing the power and righteousness of the kingdom of God. When her life was endangered, she “fled into the wilderness” (Revelation 12:6). God had prepared a place for her, a place of safety and strength and protection. In dark and dangerous days, God will provide for us safe places, even wilderness places (I take that to mean sacred places undefiled by worldly civilization) where he protects us against evil and nourishes us with strength. Please allow yourself to take the time to go to that wilderness retreat now, that sanctuary, if you will--the temple, your own home, a place of privacy and revelation, a place filled with prayer and meditation and scriptural truths. Allow yourself to turn a few things down and turn a few things off. Seek to position yourself prayerfully in some solitude and serenity to receive the mind of God. Stop what you are frantically doing and go into your private wilderness. Shut the door, turn out all earhly lights, set aside all earthly sights. Position yourself calmly and quietly in humble serenity until your prayer flows naturally and lovingly. When you feel God’s presence, when you feel he is with you, you will be filled with a wonderful strength that will allow you to do anything righteousness.
Thus filled and strengthened, we can return to the battle, to some inevitable noise and commotion and, yes, even some drudgery. But we do it more happily, more hopefully, more optimistically because we have communed with God and been filled with his joy, his charity, and his compassion, and we bear something of his light as we return. And because we are filled and strong, we can be a source of light, life, and love for others.”
From the Scriptures:
“Quiet” by Tim Minchin
Quiet,
Like silence, but not really silent. Just that still sort of quiet.
Like the sound of a page being turned in a book. Or a pause in a walk in the woods.
Quiet,
Like silence, but not really silent. Just that nice kind of quiet.
Like the sound when you lie upside down in your bed. Just the sound of your heart in your head.
And though the people around me, Their mouths are still moving, The words they are forming,
Cannot reach me anymore!
And it is quiet. And I am warm. Like I've sailed, into the eye of the storm.
