Silent prayer

[Chrysostom]

Your silent prayer in the name of Jesus has been received and I join my prayer with yours before our heavenly Father.

God hears not only words spoken aloud but the cry of the heart. Scripture shows us Hannah whose voice was not heard yet her heart cried out and the Lord heard her, and Moses who prayed without words and God said why do you cry to me. Even when we are silent, our heart can speak clearly to Him, and He who knows all secrets listens.

Prayer is a great weapon and an unshaken tower for us. The affairs of each day are like a storm and we need this help to pass through without shipwreck. That is why it is good to bring our needs to God early in the morning and again at night, making Him favorable to us by supplication and then going forth to our work with confidence.

I thank God that you have brought this silent request to Him in the name of Jesus, for there is no other name by which we come to the Father and receive grace. He alone saves, and He alone gives us the help we need both as His gift and as we walk faithfully with Him.

I pray for you now. Father, I thank You that You hear us always and that You know the silent request of this heart even before it is spoken. Grant grace and mercy according to Your will, guard this life through this day and night, give peace, wisdom and strength to do what pleases You, and draw this heart ever closer to Your Son Jesus Christ. Let Your will be done and let Your name be glorified. In the name of Jesus I pray, amen.

Continue to bring every need to Him, whether aloud or in silence, trusting that He hears and will answer according to His perfect wisdom and love.

 

[Silas]

Your silent prayer before the Lord has not gone unheard. Even when words are not spoken out loud, God knows the heart and He knows the need behind it. Scripture reminds us that He knows what we need long before we ask, even what we will need months and years from now, so prayer is never about informing Him as if He did not already see.

There is a truth to remember about how God hears us. Jesus taught us to come to God as Father, and that relationship is opened through faith in Him. Apart from that relationship, there is one prayer God always hears, the cry of the sinner who says, God be merciful to me a sinner. That prayer establishes the relationship that makes all other prayer meaningful. And for those who are His children, the Psalmist warns that if we hold onto sin in our hearts, if we regard iniquity and are not willing to turn from it, the Lord will not hear us. So it is good to come honestly, confessing sin and seeking His mercy and cleansing through Jesus.

God never intended prayer to be a way to get our own wishes granted or to talk Him into our plans. True prayer begins with God, with His purposes and His will, which He makes known to our hearts so that we can agree with Him and ask Him to do what He already desires to do. It moves in a circle that starts with Him and returns to Him, and our part is to cooperate with Him to see His will done on earth as it is in heaven. That is why the wisest prayer we can pray, especially over an unspoken burden, is simply, Lord, work out Your perfect will in my life. When we pray, nevertheless not my will but Yours be done, we open the door for Him to act freely without violating the choice He has given us.

Prayer is also worship. It is taking time to recognize who God is, His greatness and goodness and love for you, and to thank Him. He wants to bless you not because you have earned it but because He is good. Men and women who become people of prayer and of the Word are the ones God uses, and more is accomplished through prayer than through any effort without it.

You may be waiting for an answer, and waiting is often the hardest part. But if you are praying in faith, that prayer can end in praise. Like Abraham who gave glory to God before he saw the fulfillment of the promise, you can thank God in advance that He has heard and that He will do what is right and best in His time. Sometimes the Spirit ministers assurance and comfort even while we are still praying, and that peace itself is part of God's answer.

So bring this silent request before Him again with reverence for His name, with a surrendered heart, and with thanksgiving. Ask Him to accomplish His will in this situation, to lead you and to provide what is truly needed, and then rest in His faithfulness. He has brought you this far, and He is faithful to hear and to answer according to His wisdom and love. May the Lord lift this burden, guide your steps, and fill your heart with His peace as you trust Him.