
September 22, 2025
Silence outside of Quaker meeting
“The essence of the value of silence, for Quakers as well as for monastics and others, is to free ourselves from influences other than from God. Silence, then, can open ourselves to God and let us truly listen to the Living Christ.”
September 21, 2025
When there was silence in heaven
“May our minds be gathered to it, let our name and our profession to religion be what it may, and may we experience this divine communion of saints, and deeply ponder God’s unbounded love in solemn silence, for there is no power of eloquence can sufficiently acknowledge the obligation and reverence we owe his infinite majesty”
September 19, 2025
Doing God’s will as if it were my own
In calm and cool and silence, once again
I find my old accustomed place among
My brethren, where, perchance, no human tongue
Shall utter words; where never hymn is sung,
September 19, 2025
It’s not about getting God’s attention
“God is always talking to us. God is always reaching out to us. Every time I stop to listen, I hear that God has already started. It’s not a case of getting God’s attention, but it’s a case of getting my attention.”
September 18, 2025
Silence is only one of the tools available
“Quakers say that of God is in everyone and everywhere. Our task is to notice that and act on it, in whatever way works for us.”
September 17, 2025
Inner silence is the same as the love of God
“Inner silence, calming the agitations of our hearts and minds, letting go of all that is stubborn and grasping, is essentially an expression of the love of truth. To be dispassionate, not to let one’s own needs or prejudices or emotions color one’s actions, is essentially to put truth before everything else. To love truth in this way is to love God, who is Truth. Thus the practice of inner silence is the same as the love of God.”
September 16, 2025
Spirit is more immediate without words
“Seeing the Spirit inwardly nourisheth, when he giveth not to speak words, the inward sense and nourishment is to be waited for, and received as it was given when there are no words. Yea, the ministry of the Spirit and life is more close and immediate when without words, than when with words, as has been often felt, and is faithfully testified by many witnesses.”
September 15, 2025
In silence, love can blossom
“What is spiritual silence? It is not just the absence of talk. Silence has substance. It is the presence of something.
If we can stay in this place of silence without rushing to fill it up in some way, we are humbled to know even for a little while that we in our own power do not have all the answers. We become more willing to listen. Meanwhile, God has always been communicating. Listening to the Inward Teacher is the foundation of Quaker spirituality.”
September 14, 2025
Don’t Crowd the Canvas
“Open spaces are the analogue of the silences in a meeting for worship. Too full for articulate expression, the glory and fullness of the Infinite can only be portrayed by the unbroken silence.
Unhurried, unharried, we feel our way back to the world’s Mother, as the child feels its way to its parent’s arms. And there the Unspeakable is enough, fuller than expostulations and assurances. Yet again and again from out of that background emerge words, outthrusts of the Divine Life, a few sentences uttered in time yet pronounced from Eternity, a daily matter is set in cosmic frame. Resumption of silence is but the continuation of silence; unbroken space extends behind crag and cascade and river.”
September 13, 2025
The Foundation of Quaker Spirituality
“What is spiritual silence? It is not just the absence of talk. Silence has substance. It is the presence of something.
If we can stay in this place of silence without rushing to fill it up in some way, we are humbled to know even for a little while that we in our own power do not have all the answers. We become more willing to listen. Meanwhile, God has always been communicating. Listening to the Inward Teacher is the foundation of Quaker spirituality.”
September 12, 2025
Is Quaker Meeting Boring?
“If something is boring after two minutes, try it for four. If still boring, then eight. Then sixteen. Then thirty-two. Eventually one discovers that it is not boring at all.”
September 11, 2025
On 9/11, We Remember That War Does Not Work
“Friends, as events unfold in the world around us, I very much fear that we are on the eve of a new and terrible global war. Even now it could be stopped, but there is not the will to stop it. There is rather the will to threaten and to fight, either by design or lack of thought, blundering forward in a manner reminiscent of the events that led up to World War I. The consequences of the war now beginning will bring immense suffering to many peoples. We as Friends need to do what we can to stop the wars that are already spreading or intensifying. But we also need to be prepared to be Quakers in wartime — never an easy experience.”
September 10, 2025
Yielding to the Presence of God Is Not Easy
“The early church gathered not around Scripture, creed, or liturgy but around the presence and the experience of God in their midst. They trusted that God is what they needed to live and find their way through the empire. These new followers created seedbed communities called the Ekklesia—meaning called-out assembly or congregation—in which they could experience the presence of God within.”
September 9, 2025
Silence Is to the Spirit What Sleep Is to the Body
“Love silence, even in the mind; for thoughts are to the mind as words are to the body, troublesome; much speaking, as well as much thinking, spends [….]
True silence is the rest of the mind, and is to the spirit what sleep is to the body, nourishment and refreshment. It is a great virtue; it covers folly, keeps secrets, avoids disputes, and prevents sin.”
September 8, 2025
In the Silence of the Heart, God Will Speak
“We cannot find God in noise and agitation.
Nature: trees, flowers, and grass grow in silence. The stars, the moon, and the sun move in silence.
What is essential is not what we say but what God tells us and what He tells others through us.
In silence He listens to us; in silence He speaks to our souls. In silence we are granted the privilege of listening to His voice.”
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The Daily Quaker Message is a daily Quaker devotional email designed for an audience of Friends, seekers, and the spiritually curious. Each email has three parts: a query to ground you; a message to inspire you; and an invitation to participate in a spiritual exercise. Wherever you are in your journey, the Daily Quaker Message is your Friendly companion.