[A ‘Tuesday Challenge‘ originally prepared for the congregation of Horley Baptist Church during February 2025]
Speak, Lord, in the stillness whilst I wait on Thee;
hushed my heart to listen in expectancy.
Emily May Crawford, (1920)[1]
How often do we get to experience stillness? In our age of perpetual motion, can our hearts really be hushed? Are stillness, quiet and silence all the same state? More importantly, are those conditions prerequisites for us to hear the Lord speaking?
Elijah’s experience suggests that it may be so. He saw God’s supernatural power on several occasions but when God wanted to speak to Elijah he did not try to outshout the competing cacophony.
After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper.
1 Kings 19 v12 [NIVUK]
We live in a world where movement and noise are integral parts of our everyday environment. When you get the opportunity, stop and listen; what do you hear? Traffic in motion, people going about their business, the rustling of leaves in the wind, the sounds of animals, the singing of birds or even an indeterminate white noise all combine to prevent God from getting a word in edgeways.
It is rare to experience complete silence but I can remember one such occasion. It was in the hills above Machynlleth in mid-Wales where, despite all the activities that were visible below me, I could hear nothing – no wind, no birds, just absolute silence. The gospel-writer Luke tells us that Jesus went up to the mountains to pray.[2] We may not have that opportunity very often but that is no excuse for ignoring God’s voice.
When we pray our thoughts are prone to wander, especially if our prayer is more than just a sanctified wish-list. I recall meeting an elderly man in a desert area of Saudi Arabia. As he read my introduction letter he traced the words with his finger and spoke them out loud. In that way he understood all that the letter conveyed. How often do we tend to speed-read passages of Scripture? Would we gain more from the words if we did indeed trace them with our finger or speak them out loud? Would the same apply with our prayers?
Last week we considered the “Your will be done” portion of the Lord’s template prayer but what about “Hallowed be your name”? It could be argued that this phrase is even more difficult to pray thoughtfully, simply because its implications exceed the limits of our imagination.
The Psalmist was listening when God spoke:
Be still, and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth.
Psalm 46 v10 [ESVUK]
When you pray, are you listening or simply waiting to speak?
References:
[1] hymnal.net
[2] Luke 6:12
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Last week’s reflection: Thy Will Be Done
Contributed by Steve Humphreys; © Steve Humphreys
As you say Steve, it is difficult to find a quiet place and silence is a rare occurrence. I really need to listen to God speaking, before I
ask a list of requests. Thank you for your reflection.
When were you in the desert in Saudi Arabia, that sounds an interesting visit?