A Quiet Place

Visovac 

“Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” Psalms 46:10

There is a very small island call Visovac in the middle of a lake at the KRKA National Park in Croatia. The lake is surrounded by mountains and wooded hillsides. It can be reached by boat from the village of Skradin. Pat and I visited Visovac on the 25 August 2005 and decided it must be the choicest place on earth to have a quiet retreat.

The Augustinian monks built a monastery there in the 15th Century. They vacated the place when the Turks ruled the Balkans. In their place, the Franciscans came. Today only 8 Franciscan monks and novices live on the island tending to the monastery and gardens. For these monks, the seclusion is medicine for the restive soul. It is the perfect place to recede from our busy, crowded world for contemplation and the study of faith and theology.

Many of us feel that living in a monastery is a form of escaping from the realities of the modern world. Some of us look down on these monks because we think they are avoiding the challenges of the outside world. We need to do things whereas monastery living is not so much about doing and achieving but to be in the presence of God. Places like Visovac engender a quiet contemplative environment where the focus is on being rather than doing.

This is unfamiliar territory for many of us. We live in a very busy go-get-to-it world. The present worldview makes us measure ourselves by what we do or achieve and judge others in the same way. 

Such a living quickly wears out not only the physical body but also the soul and spirit. There is hardly any time to stop and think. The moments pass us by and before long we become old.  Then we realize, rather too latMy files - OneDrivee, that we have lost time and failed to savour and enjoy inspirational moments. If only we can find our very own quiet place, then we can appreciate this song 'Be still for the presence of the Lord'. 

Be still, for the presence of the Lord,

The holy One, is here;

Come bow before him now

With reverence and fear

In him no sin is found

We stand on holy ground.

Be still, for the presence of the Lord,

The holy One, is here.

Be still, for the glory of the Lord

Is shining all around;

He burns with holy fire,

With splendour he is crowned:

How awesome is the sight

Our radiant king of light!

Be still, for the glory of the Lord

Is shining all around.

Be still, for the power of the Lord

Is moving in this place:

He comes to cleanse and heal,

To minister his grace -

No work too hard for him.

In faith receive from him.

Be still, for the power of the Lord

Is moving in this place.

Our world cannot manage this stillness. In the Battle of the Fittest, success goes to the aggressive person who needs to climb up the corporate ladder in a rat race. To them, to be gentle, contemplative and still before God is to be weak. 

Jesus understood the struggles of the law of the jungle completely and all of its futility. Jesus advises us, 

"Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart" Matthew 11:29

Everyone needs to find a quiet place where one can visit with God and hear the quiet and gentle whispers of God’s leading. The Quakers call this  'soul making' and seek often these times of refreshing for the soul and strengthen it.

Lionel

Updated 1st published 8 Dec 2019

In Search Of Worship - Stillness

Photo taken at Scotney Castle, Kent 23 June 2005
'Be Still and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.' Psalms 46:10

Just as the still waters around Scotney Castle reflect the castle so perfectly, one can reflect properly only when one is still. When we look within and still ourselves; we can know our God. Psalm 46:10 states "Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth." 

When we worship, come into the right frame of mind and atmosphere for worship. In that contemplative mood, seize the opportunity to worship the Lord. So often our 'busi-ness' detracts and subtracts from intimate moments of our thoughts and feelings. If we can release ourselves from the noisy distractions around us, we can come into a time of worship.

There is a fascinating book entitled Small Graces which I would recommend to you all. The book helps me to reflect and understand life. One snippet should entice you -"We dream our lives in grand gestures, but we live our lives in small moments." 

From our first rising at the dawn, to our last conscious thoughts at night, our lives are spent in tasks that absorb our attention and keep us from contemplating the bigger issues of life. Why are we here? What is love? Does God exist? What lives behind the veil of death? These are questions that make us human. But their answers, and even their contemplation, seem far beyond the ordinary realms in which we live our days

Kent Nerburn is a sculptor, writer and theologian. One reviewer wrote "one of the clearest, most exquisite books I have read in a long time. I believe it will become a classic." Share with you, one passage from this book "The silence is profound this morning. It is not portentous; there seems to be nothing in the waiting. It is a gentle silence, liquid and pastel, a shimmering on still water. It is good to listen to the silence that surrounds each day. In the same way that music is made alive by the silence that surrounds the notes, a day comes alive by the silence that surrounds our actions. And the dawn is the time when silence reveals herself most clearly." 

For a very long time most of the world's churches will not be allowed to worship together. No more the loud singing, no shouts of praises not even the ability to sit together as a congregation to worship. We need to redefine our worship when we cannot meet in congregations. We are now alone before God when we worship. There we will bow in silence.  

There is a song 'Be Still My Soul' (Click on title of song). What does this say about being still and knowing God?

Be still my soul the Lord is on thy side

Bear patiently the cross of grief or pain

Leave to thy God to order and provide

In every change He faithful will remain

Be still my soul thy best, thy heavenly friend

Through thorny ways leads to a joyful end

Be still, my soul, thy God doth undertake

To guide the future as He has the past

Thy hope, thy confidence let nothing shake

All now mysterious shall be bright at last

Be still, my soul, the waves and winds still know

His voice who ruled them while He dwelt below

Lionel