What does your prayer life look like in this season of life? How, specifically, do you pray each day?
As a mom with small kids and a church to help lead, I will confess that my prayer life is often rushed. I pray throughout the day, squeezing it in when I can. I pray when I wake up, I pray when I am driving, I pray at meals, I pray when someone comes to mind, and I pray as I fall asleep. Because of this rhythm, my prayer life is often hurried. And when I do pray, I am doing the majority of the talking.
This is how many of us pray, especially in hectic seasons of life. God functions as a touchstone throughout our schedule, and there is some good in this practice. It reminds us of the ever-present help we have in Him. However, I have recently become convicted that this practice lacks something important: listening.
I recently heard a podcast describe the strange training regimen of NASA astronauts preparing for space. Because outer space is absolutely silent to a degree that we never experience on earth, astronauts must learn to adjust to it. They do this by spending time in a noiseless chamber where the silence is profound. In fact, the absence of noise is so absolute that you can hear the sound of your own body and its most basic, typically imperceivable, inner workings: the sound of your own breathing, or your heart beating and pumping blood to the rest of your body, the sound of skin sliding over sinew, of bones rubbing against one another—which is about when astronauts start hearing things that aren’t actually there.
This description is almost unsettling to read, but it helps us to grasp the loud volume of our everyday lives. We live in a world where silence, true silence, is difficult to come by. But as these astronauts have discovered, it is only through silence that we can hear things we’ve never heard before.
For many of us, silence is the missing ingredient from our prayer lives. We are unable to hear from God because we haven’t created the environment for it. This is what the author of Ecclesiastes is saying: He counsels, “Do not be hasty to speak, and do not be impulsive to make a speech before God. God is in heaven and you are on earth, so let your words be few” (Ecclesiastes 5:2). This is an invitation to turn our prayer life on its head by listening more to what God has to say, rather than solely bringing petitions and requests before Him.
This can be a challenge, but it is also a word of grace and good news to any of us who do not know what to pray, or those of us who feel pressure to pray in a certain manner. Instead, it reminds us that prayer is not simply about us speaking to God, but God speaking to us. If we will only make the space to listen.
Today’s reading reminded me of Jesus’ words in Matthew 6:7:
“And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words.”
I too want to be purposeful in prayer and spend time communing with God, instead of just rushing to get in every prayer request.
Thank you for bringing this to my attention.. listen more
I try to remember to have silence in prayer. I used to do better but with my 2 kids (teens) are out of school due to COVID-19. My daughter is in to see me every 2-5 minutes to tell me or show me things from awhile ago. She doesn’t like to be alone. She is a very social girl. She doesn’t have any friends to call tho, so I’m her talk to person. I need to listen to her. God gave her to us 15.9 years ago. I prayed for a child to be named Viktor or Viktoria as a sign from Gd that he was watching over our adoption of 2 kids from Russia. Gabby was Viktoria. They called her Vika. Our son, 16 months younger, was Sergei. Gabby will be 18 in a few months. When we adopted her, she was 25 months & the size of a thin 4 month old; 15 pounds & 27”. Duncan was 8,5 months & fairly average for a 34 week baby, 18 pounds & 24”. Both have prenatal alcohol exposure. Both have preverbal trauma. I need quiet time to listen to God. That’s how I have best learned to advocate for my kids. Right now, it’s very hard since I have now quiet time. God will give me time tho. He always will.
Laurel, this time of quarantine with our kids with trauma issues is hard. I will pray specifically for strength for you as well as a quiet space to hear God speak over you and encourage and direct you
What a great study! I’m so thankful. Thankful for all your comments. Realizing I’m not alone in my insecurities with my relationship with God. I need to talk less and listen more. To truly believe he loves me where I’m at. To trust. To obey.
I am so glad that you guys are sharing practical ways to apply this silence in your lives with me because I initially read this and was like well I definitely don’t do that… but how can I? I normally pray in the car and with less time in the car now due to stay at home order I’ve been slacking at that as well. And even then I do all the talking. I love the idea of meditating in god’s presence for 10min/day. I use the Dwell app that reads scripture to you and it has a setting that allows for reflection in between reading. I may try that to start!
I love the Dwell app too, Makenzie! I often listen to it before bed to quiet my mind and refocus my heart on Jesus and all the gifts He gave that day. Also doing the 10 minute meditation challenge but likely in the morning or while my toddler naps in the afternoon so I’m more alert. Also thankful for everyone sharing!
The discipline of quiet. When I read that almost 2 years ago and I devotional, I said, I certainly don’t have that! I became challenged to try cultivating a period of quiet where I could listen to the Lord. I had just finished taking care of my mom for the last year and a 1/2 of her life. So of course I was already grieving. I began to sit in my little tiny garden behind my home And just observe what God has created, and be still and listen. He began to speak to me in such consoling tones. My life was always full of so many distractions, having raised 6 children, engaging with our 20 grandchildren, running to part time businesses, and singing either in my church or in the community. Whenever I would journal, which was not often, I would have to confess that I was too busy. But God stripped most of that busyness away from me while caring for my mom. It was a difficult thing, I but also such a wonderful thing. I lives got back to just the 2 of us here in our home, and so it was easier to be quiet. At last August our 2nd daughter in her 4 children moved in with us, and she’s going through a very difficult time of her life. I still have my quiet time in my little yellow Room, but have found it hard to be out my little garden listening . I was very encouraged and the ratings today and in all of your comments , To actively get back to that time of listening . I’m so thankful that are abba father never gives up on us!
TAYLOR: The book they mentioned is A GENTLE ANSWER by Pastor Scott Sauls. It is on Amazon now and I think they said it would be available next week.
“Make time to listen.”
I needed this reminder.
This is the main reason I do my best to get up before anybody else does because once somebody starts a conversation it interrupts my morning. I also need to do more “listening“ in the quietness of the mornings. Before the noise begins.