Leader, say something like: To be quiet is to be in a state of gentle stillness. It is in this state that your mind can relax because there is not all kinds of sensory input. Your body can then follow suit and your muscles loosen up. When you fully enter into a state of quietness, it is there that you let go of those things that are weighing you down. You can give up the struggle for control. You can release the notion that you must know everything right now! You can see God’s face more clearly and hear His word to you more plainly.
Today we are going to take a few minutes and practice the discipline of quietness. You can stay where you are seated, or you can move to another place here or outside. Get comfortable and stay put once you find your place. Take out your Bible and read the following Psalms and allow God to renew you and refresh you in this time of quietness.
- Psalm 4
- Psalm 23
- Psalm 46
Leader: After about 10 minutes call your group back together. Ask them about this experience. Was it difficult to get quiet? How long was it before you actually could relax? Why is it important to spend time in quietness?
In closing read the following and then pray.
Proof Of Greatness In Quietness
Around the great issues of life there is quietness. Silence characterizes the highest in art and the deepest in nature. The surest spiritual search is made in silence. Moses learned in Midian, and Paul in Arabia, what would have eluded them in the busy haunts of men.
Silence reaches beyond words. The highest point in drama is silence. The most valid emotions do not cry aloud. The most effective reproof is not a tongue lashing. The most poignant grief is not expressed in loud shriekings. The sincerest sympathy is not noisy. The best preparation for an emergency is quietness.
The best proof of greatness is silence. The great engine is almost noiseless, but the cheap model is a "rattletrap." The best proof of confidence is silence. The man who is confident of his position does not strive, nor cry aloud, nor try to explain everything.
"In quietness and in confidence shall be your strength" (Isaiah 30:15).
—Gospel Herald
