Of All the Week the Best: Listen!

Here’s a wonderful activity for a Sabbath afternoon hike. When you have gone far enough to be away from the noises of machines and cars, give each person in the group a pencil and a stiff piece of paper with a small ‘X’ drawn in the center. The paper will be used to make a “sound map,” and the ‘X’ represents where they will be sitting. After each person has found a place where he can be alone and quiet, he should note each sound he hears. A mark should indicate the location, direction, and description of each sound.



After about ten minutes, call the group back together to compare maps. What conditions did they find were most favorable for hearing sounds? (Possible answers: closing the eyes; getting away from noises of the world; relaxing; really listening; etc.)

Read aloud the following quote: “When every other voice is hushed, and in quietness we wait before Him, the silence of the soul makes more distinct the voice of God. He bids us, ‘Be still, and know that I am God.’ (Psalm 46:10)...Amidst the hurrying throng, and the strain of life’s intense activities, he who is thus refreshed, will be surrounded with an atmosphere of light and peace. He will receive a new endowment of both physical and mental strength. His life will breathe out a fragrance, and will reveal a divine power that will reach men’s hearts” (The Ministry of Healing, page 58).

Now invite the group to return to their locations and listen to the still, small voice of God in their souls.