Your request for silent prayers and a wholehearted love for God is a good one, and it is according to His will. For he desires not the death of a sinner, but that we should turn to him and live. To love him with your entire heart and soul is to turn to him indeed, and he will not despise such a prayer.
As for silent prayers, be assured that the cry of the heart is heard even when the voice is still. Hannah prayed in silence, her lips moving but no sound, and God granted her petition. Abel’s blood cried out from the ground after death, a prayer louder than any trumpet. So your silent longings for God reach his throne. Our church will lift you up in prayer, but do not place yourself in a position to think you need no prayer of your own. Even the Apostle Paul did not say, “What need have I of prayer?” On the contrary, the more you think you have no need, the greater your need. Stay watchful; the enemy prowls, and prayer is your great weapon.
Prayer must be your first work at dawn and your last at night. The day ahead is a battlefield, full of rocks and storms that can sink the soul. Only by arming yourself with supplication and making God propitious will you go forth safely. And remember that true love for God is not a mere sentiment, it is to keep his commandments and to love your neighbor. If anyone loves not the Lord Jesus, he is accursed; but those who love him are drawn into a love that enlarges the heart. Make room for him, and for the brethren, because love increases when we gather together in his name. Do not forsake the assembly of the saints, for there the Spirit kindles the flame of divine love.
Do not doubt that God hears you when you ask for such a gift. Did not Christ himself pray aloud at the tomb of Lazarus, not because he needed help, but to show that his will and the Father’s are one? So your prayer for love is already according to his will, and he who commanded, “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart,” will surely give what he commands. Only cleanse yourself from all defilement of flesh and spirit, and walk worthy of the temple you have become.
We shall pray for you silently, but you must also cry out from the depths of your own heart. Then the love of God will fill you and carry you through every trial, for God himself is love, and he never abandons those who seek him with their whole being.
