Silence and Prayer

The focus of this week's devotionals, as a way of following up yesterday's sermon, will be prayer.



Silence has never been more threatening. There was a time when silence was normal and when noise disturbed us. But nowadays, people go through sound withdrawal when faced with silence and there are few "silent" places left to be found. Even when we're trying to observe silence, the refrigerator is dropping another load of ice cubes or the florescent light of the office is buzzing overhead. Sounds are everywhere.

Here's the problem with sound: it causes us to lose touch with our inner selves. Unsure feelings don't get cleared up, questions asked often go unanswered. We don't focus on what's happening "inside us" because we're constantly distracted by all these sounds: the siren racing past our home, the song playing on the radio, the heating unit kicking on, or the conversation taking place at the table next to us. I'm guessing that, even while reading this devotional, you have already been momentarily distracted by some sound (for me, it was the sound indicating that I had a text message on my phone).

We don't like silence (except perhaps when we're trying to sleep). Silence makes us vulnerable. Silence forces us to see ourselves as we really are: limited, weak, dependent and even sinful. Prayer also makes us vulnerable. Prayer acknowledges that we are not God and that we need God. And that's one of the reasons why prayer is so difficult: we don't like feeling vulnerable. That's why people carry guns and mace. That's why people avoid certain sections of town. We want to be in control; prayers and silence remind us that we're not.

Prayers do bring vulnerability, but they also bring hope. Prayers express our belief that God hears us, that God loves us, that God can be trusted with our cares and concerns. Prayer is the belief that God can work for good in all things. Prayer is an opportunity to speak to God, but also to listen for God. Prayer reminds us that we are limited, but God is not. Prayer forces us to realize that we are weak, but God is strong. We may think we're independent, but prayer makes us cognizant that we're not. Prayer exposes our sinfulness, but leads us into God's grace.

May God grant us the grace to find a place of silence and prayer today.