For God alone my soul waits in silence; from him comes my salvation.

Psalm 62:5

Sonnet for Psalm 62

Sitting in silence with you beyond words,
Waiting with patience for your still, small voice.
Listening without asking to be heard.
Learning to pay less heed to the world’s noise.
Living with questions, not seeking answers,
Resting in quiet, nothing to pursue,
Trusting this silence to be my anchor,
Letting my soul breathe, my heart rest in you.
Reminding myself to trust and to wait,
Turning my worries over to silence,
Holding onto you as I contemplate,
Asking only for your promised presence.
Once have you spoken, and twice have I heard:
Silence in prayer brings peace undisturbed.

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Quiet time with God is essential, in my experience, to a healthy spiritual life. Our faith is lived out in community, but it is often nourished in solitude and in silence. Jesus taught and modeled both – calling disciples into community, but also spending time in solitary prayer. Psalm 62 is one of many places in scripture where we are reminded of this, and my sonnet for this psalm is focused on this particular theme. Here, then, is a passage from Psalm 62, followed by the other scripture passages I had in mind when I wrote the sonnet, along with the sonnet again, followed by a closing prayer:

Psalm 62:5-12a

For God alone my soul waits in silence, 
  for my hope is from him.
He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; 
  I shall not be shaken.
On God rests my deliverance and my honor; 
  my mighty rock, my refuge is in God.
Trust in him at all times, O people; 
  pour out your heart before him; God is a refuge for us. 
Those of low estate are but a breath, those of high estate are a delusion; 
  in the balances they go up; they are together lighter than a breath.
Put no confidence in extortion, and set no vain hopes on robbery; 
  if riches increase, do not set your heart on them.
Once God has spoken; twice have I heard this: 
  that power belongs to God, 
  and steadfast love belongs to you, O Lord. 

Scripture Readings

It is good that one should wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord. – Lamentations 3:26

In the morning, while it was still very dark, [Jesus] got up and went out to a deserted place, and there he prayed. – Mark 1:35

Sonnet for Psalm 62

Sitting in silence with you beyond words,
Waiting with patience for your still, small voice.
Listening without asking to be heard.
Learning to pay less heed to the world’s noise.
Living with questions, not seeking answers,
Resting in quiet, nothing to pursue,
Trusting this silence to be my anchor,
Letting my soul breathe, my heart rest in you.
Reminding myself to trust and to wait,
Turning my worries over to silence,
Holding onto you as I contemplate,
Asking only for your promised presence.
Once have you spoken, and twice have I heard:
Silence in prayer brings peace undisturbed.

Closing Prayer

Lord, my quiet time with you gives birth to these words, breaking this silence to give thanks for your presence in my life now and always. I admit that my quiet time with you is not always quiet – my mind spins and wanders and worries and doesn’t always faithfully listen for your still, small voice. When that happens, Lord, help me to return to the quiet, to faithful listening. And when our quiet time is over, help me to return to the world around me with a renewed sense of patience, love, and courage. I pray these things in the name of your son, Jesus. Amen