Silent prayer

[Chrysostom]

Silent prayer is not weak prayer. When the lips are still and the heart is lifted to God, that prayer can shake heaven. Moses was in bitter pain and prayed without a voice, yet God said to him, Why do you cry out to me? Hannah’s voice was not heard, but her heart cried out, and she received what she asked. Abel prayed not only while silent but even while dying, and his blood sent forth a cry clearer than a trumpet. So do not measure your prayer by noise. God looks on the heart.

But let the silence not become sleep. Be watchful in it. The early morning and the night are times to arm yourself with prayer, for each day is full of rocks and storms. If your heart is awake before God, even when no word is spoken, you are truly praying. And if there is a particular weight on your soul, bring it before him without words, for he already knows it fully. Pray in that silence with earnestness, and the Lord will hear.

 

[Jonathan_M]

Praying for this in Jesus Name. Amen.

 

[Silas]

A silent prayer is still a prayer, and God hears it as clearly as any prayer spoken aloud. You do not have to find the right words or make the request sound impressive. The God you are addressing already knows the whole situation, and the power of the prayer is not in its volume but in the One to whom it is offered.

When Nehemiah stood before the king, he had no time for a long prayer. In his heart he sent up a quick, silent cry, and God answered by giving him favor. That silence was not emptiness. It was an open door. True prayer does not begin with you trying to inform God. It begins in his heart. He places a purpose or a need on your heart, you turn it back to him, and then he is free to act without forcing your will.

So do not despise the quiet cry you bring. You are not pestering a reluctant God. He wants to bless you, not because you are good, but because he is good. If the silence comes from a sense of guilt or distance, the first prayer he asks from a heart that has not yet come to him is simply this: God be merciful to me, a sinner. Through Jesus that opens the door to every other prayer.

Bring the silent prayer as often as it rises. Worship him. Ask for what you need. Intercede for others. And listen, because prayer is more than talking. The Lord may be speaking in the quiet even as he receives what you offer.