Silence
Silence. This is how I as a child remember Sunday worship services beginning. In silence. Gathered worshippers were asked to begin with silent prayer. I never really knew what to do during those times of silence. I always thought that prayer had to do with words, with audible voices, not silence. Over the years I have come to discover, the truth of what Cicero, the ancient Roman statesman, once said: "Silence is one of the great arts of conversation." There really is something to silent prayer!
Prayer is one of the key strategies of our churches to reach the lost for Christ. We are urged "to call upon God for such an outpouring of his Spirit that his people will be assured of his love through his Word, seek to please the Saviour in all things, manifest the godly life and be filled with prayerful and sacrificial compassion for the lost in all the world." Perhaps as a church or as an individual you are heeding that call to prayer. You understand its priority and place in the routines of life and ministry. You have been calling upon God, and interceding for the lost in your families, neighbourhoods, and in all the world. You have voiced your thoughts to God. But what about silence? Do you know the discipline of silent prayer?
In the words of the preacher, "There is a time to be silent and a time to speak." (Ecclesiastes 3:7) I have discovered this to be true in the discipline of prayer. There is a time to express my adoration of God, give expression to my gratitude, voice my confessions, and intercede for others. There is also a time for me to "sit alone in silence" . (Lamentations 3:28) There is a time for me to still before the Lord. (Psalm 37:7; 46:10)
Prayer is sometimes broken down into four parts: we speak, God listens, God speaks, we listen. In his book Whole Prayer, Walter Wangerin notes that our praying isn't complete until we have adequately listened to God. This is true of all believers, as Jesus reminds us: "He who belongs to God hears what God says." (John 8:47) The primary way we hear God is through the Bible (Romans 10:17; 2 Timothy 3:16-17). But as you spend time in God's Word, take the time also to be silent. And listen. Linger over what you have read and give it your attention. Is there something that God is saying to you? A command to obey? A comfort to be assured of? Without this time of silence we often can miss what God is trying to tell us through his Word. We miss what the Spirit testifies to our spirits. (see Romans 8:16) As Douglas Kamstra writes, "When our lives are 'noisy' (filled with activities, demands, issues, stresses, and so on) it is difficult to hear God. In order to hear God we need to slow down physically and mentally and spend some time in silence." (The Praying Church Idea Book)
One good thing that God has worked in my life during this difficult season of COVID is more solitude. (see Romans 8:28) And in solitude I have found more time to be silent, and just to enjoy God's presence. To be still and know God. (Psalm 46:10) And in the stillness I hear the gentle whispers of God. (see 1 Kings 19:12) God has shown me things in his Word and in myself that I might otherwise have missed. I have come to appreciate what Jonathan Edwards marks as true of believers: "A true Christian doubtless delights in religious fellowship, and Christian conversation, and finds much to affect his heart in it; but he also delights at times to retire from all mankind to converse with God in solitary places. And this also has its peculiar advantages for fixing his heart, and engaging its affections. True religion disposes persons to be much alone in solitary places, for holy meditation and prayer." (The Religious Affections)
As you give yourself to the priority of prayer, take time to be silent! Perhaps you identify with these words recently penned by my sister: "Most of us don't tolerate silence well, finding it too quiet, rather awkward. We would rather fill our days and nights with distracting commotion." But don't allow the busyness of life and ministry to rob your soul of solitude and silence. For in the silence we can pay attention and not miss what God would have us hear! Be still. Be still and know. Be still and know the God who is. Be still and know the God who is with us!
About the author
Jack De Vries was hired on by the Christian Reformed Churches of Australia and began his work as Ministry Training Coordinator in January 2008. In 2012 this role shifted to that of Ministry Development Coach.
Jack came from Canada where he pastored three Christian Reformed churches: Alliston CRC, Alliston, Ontario(1983-87), a church plant: New Life Community Church, Pickering, Ontario(1987-95), and Bethel CRC, Listowel, Ontario (1995-2007). Jack is a graduate of Calvin Theological Seminary (Master of Divinity - 1983) and Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary (Doctor of Ministry - 2003) Jack and his wife Jeannie currently live in Petrie, a northern suburb of Brisbane in Queensland. They attend and are members of Bray Park Community Church. They have four adult children and seven grandchildren living in the USA and Canada.
In Isaiah 58:11 we read: "The LORD will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail." Australia has seen times of drought and floods. There is another type of drought in Australia; there is a spiritual drought. But God promises to provide refreshing rain, a never ending supply of refreshing water. The water he provides will satisfy the needs of all Australians. As we take up the missional vision God has given us we extend the life changing invitation of Jesus: "Come! Whoever is thirsty, come, and take the free gift of the water of life!" (Revelation 22:17)
