SILENT PRAYER

A lifeline in life's storms...

We were talking about prayer last night at a class at church . . .

and I found myself being quiet for most of the discussion.

This was interesting for two reasons.

For one, I didn’t feel like I had much to contribute—which is ironic because I’ve been dedicated to working with prayer-focused ministries for the past decade and a half. My general feeling last night was “I don’t know anything about prayer” and “I’m not sure what I believe about prayer right now.”

But secondly, I’ve begun to have a growing appreciation for listening to others share first in group settings. I used to always want to have an answer, have the right answer, and get my thoughts out there first—demonstrating that I’m a good teacher or courageous leader.

Silly me.

Reflecting back, I think my eagerness to speak first or get my points across often came from a place of pride and insecurity. This wasn’t intentional, of course. I think it’s just one of those things that masks nicely on the outside—looking like strong spirituality and bold leadership—but deeper down maybe I felt threatened by someone else sharing a differing point of view. Maybe I was afraid of some awkward silence in a conversation. Maybe I was insecure about not speaking up and having a competent thought or nice sounding answer.

While there certainly is a place for confidence, bold leadership, and initiative, I’ve had some growing to do by tempering that with better listening, patience, and space-giving.

But back to the subject of the group discussion . . .

I realized how little I know about prayer right now, even though I worked in prayer ministries for about 14 years.

In large part this is due to our painful experiences the past year and a half.

Though there’s lots of negatives to that, the positive thing is that I’m at the most humble and broken place I’ve ever been in my life.

So I’m back to the basics.

And I think that’s good.

All this being said, there is a small (but powerful) aspect/expression of prayer that I have been able to cling onto right now.

Silent prayer.

Here’s a few benefits I’ve found from silent prayer:

1. Peace — Relaxing and letting go, remembering God is in control. Catching a breath from the dizzying pace of our world.

2. Anchoring/Being — Less about what I’m asking for and more about just being.

3. Presence — I find God’s presence in the stillness and silence.

Maybe I’ll write about this further another time, but for now I’ll just leave it as these 3 simple points.

And before you go on imagining these are some super-special alternate-reality moments, I’ll stop you right there . . .

They’re not.

At least not for me right now. These are very short moments, and also something that I’m not very good about staying consistent or disciplined about. But it’s less about a rigid discipline where I am striving to connect with God, and more about a simple place for God to meet me wherever I’m at.

And for me—one full of questions about God, faith, and prayer right now—silent prayer is a sweet anchor for my soul.

In addition to these being grounding moments on a personal level, I’ve also enjoyed experiencing this in our church. There’s lots of rich liturgy and moving parts to the service—songs, creeds, scripture readings, the Lord’s prayer, communion, Bible teaching, etc.—but one of my favorite parts is a section of silent prayer: A congregation of people—many of whom are humbly kneeling—just taking the time and space to silently pray.

To me the silence is not as much about the somberness or seriousness of it—it’s the relaxed and trusting nature of it. A sovereignty. A peace. A stillness. That a room full of hundreds of people would simply be—be still, be quiet, be with God.

For some this may already be a normal part of your life/Christian practice. It’s certainly something that has been a part of church history for centuries and is still practiced regularly in certain denominations. For others, depending on your faith tradition and community, this may be something strange or brand new.

So I hope this ancient but often neglected practice in today’s modern fast-paced world could be a bit of encouragement to you today . . .

Perhaps even a lifeline, like it is for me right now.

Thanks for reading,
Blake

⁷ “And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words. ⁸ Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. (Matthew 6:7-8)

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P.S. - Here’s a couple resources you may find interesting:

John Eldredge - The Pause App

John Eldredge - Get Your Life Back

Pete Scazzero - Emotionally Healthy Leader Podcast

Pete Scazzero - Daily Office
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