Pray then like this: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Matthew 6:9-10, 12-13 ESV
Forgive us our debts, give us our food and lead us not into temptation are things Jesus taught us to pray every day. I don’t know about you but for me having to constantly ask for God’s help in these areas makes me feel frustrated and weak. But God is not at all frustrated or angry when we sincerely pray. Instead He taught us to pray these things because He is a God who is ready to forgive us every morning, delights in providing for us every day and who knows we need His protection on our journey!
And he said, “Go out and stand on the mount before the Lord.” And behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind tore the mountains and broke in pieces the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. And after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. And after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire the sound of a low whisper. 1 Kings 19:11-12
There are moments that God allows in our lives in which we are astonished to learn that God has been in control all along! Just like Elijah we have struggled because it has seemed as if our prayers have been denied. Then whether by some event or by a moment when a scripture verse leaps off the page as we are reading alone, God opens heaven’s window and whispers in our ear that He still has plans for us!
Our problem is that we have believed that some specific situation should work out a certain way or else all is lost. We cry and pray as thinking that things are completely out of control. In a way we are right. They are out of OUR control….but not God’s! Just as He did with Elijah there are times when God engineers strange situations in our lives like Elijah’s wind storm, earthquake and fire. After these pass, God certainly has our attention, and we fall silent and from that silence comes a still small voice. The Hebrew meaning reflects a calm such as when Jesus calmed the sea. “What are you doing here Elijah ?” God asked in that moment. What any of us are doing when God is finished is that finally we are listening. We’ve all got problems we want to talk about with God, but are we really listening to His voice? We will never hear the whispers of God until finally we listen, and in the calm after that storm, He has promised to show us way!
Nothing else is worth waiting for untill we first wait only for Him
While a vow of silence is not a permanent lifestyle that God wants there is something to be said for a silent hour, a moment and a prayer. Silence can be the doorway through which God’s Holy Spirit enters so that we can hear beall He is longing to say.
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