And while waiting upon the Lord in silence, as often we did for many hours together, with our minds and hearts toward him, being staid in the light of Christ within us, from all thoughts, fleshly motions, and desires, in our diligent waiting and fear of his name, and hearkening to his word, we received often the pouring down of the spirit upon us, and the gift of God's holy eternal spirit as in the days of old, and our hearts were made glad, and our tongues loosed, and our mouths opened, and we spake with new tongues, as the Lord gave us utterance, and as his spirit led us, which was poured down upon us, on sons and daughters.

-- Edward Burrough, "Epistle to the Reader," in George Fox, The Great Mystery of the Great Whore Unfolded, 1659

Silent times help to heal us from hurts of the mind and body. The quiet has brought us refreshment and strength to do what we thought ourselves unable to do or even to contemplate. Especially in the worshipping group, many have found "the evil within us weakened and the good raised up," despair and turmoil lessened, and steadfastness of purpose strengthened. We have often come to understand others' cares and unite with their concerns.

Generations of Friends have remarked how well they began to appreciate the silence when, as children, they worshipped daily with their families and attended worship with Friends at meeting. Cultivating quietness and inward listening makes us increasingly able to remain silent when it is not necessary to speak or to speak the wisdom that comes from stillness.

When your heart is wandering and distracted, bring it back quickly to its point, restore it tenderly to its Master's side, and if you did nothing else the whole of your hour but bring back your heart patiently and put it near our Lord again, and every time you put it back it turned away again, your hour would be well employed.

-- Francis de Sales, in Thomas Green, "Preparation for Worship," 1952

. . .IN SOLITUDE

The capacity to be alone is a necessary balance to the press of social life, and the healing power of solitude is central to our well-being. It promotes self-understanding and contact with those inner depths of being that often elude us when meeting the demands of daily living. Above