Waiting In Silence Before God In Prayer

My soul, wait silently for God alone, For my expectation is from Him. - Psalm 62:5

Silence is a scary thing for most people. It seems human nature is built with the desire to communicate, share and speak. To remain quiet and still seem to go against the flow of our very being at times. This can carry over into christian life where believers in the Lord find it very difficult to remain quiet in prayer for any given amount of time. As we try to pray at times during our busy day our mind still races on with all the to-do's and tasks of the day. The scriptures thought give us constant encouragements to seek to cater a life of silence, contemplation, mediation on the words of God and eternal realities. God is waiting at times for us to slow down and simply spend some time with him. Imagine if we put words to our actions: No Lord not right now I am busy with this task, no Lord not right now I need to eat, no Lord I really want to watch this movie I need the time to relax, no Lord not right now I need to ask others to pray for me I really need it!

Does this hit close to home? God is looking for us to stop and be silent at times waiting in his presence. He longs to speak to us, commune with us and he is glad when we can simply be there with him, showing we love and worship him. The christian discipline of silence in prayer has never been taught rarely in evangelical circles, the idea of mysticism has scared people away from seeking God till he is found. Evangelicals like A.W. Tozer pushed against this belief as he would seek God prostrate in prayer in silence for many hours. God is more real then any physical thing in the earth that we see. He desires us to seek him as he should be sought. Spend time with him. Even just 30 minutes in silence waiting on him. Expect the Lord to speak into your situations and give you guidance, love and strength for what you are going through. Seek God for God alone and you will find him.

As they ministered to the Lord and fasted, the Holy Spirit said, "Now separate to Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” - Acts 13:2

It seems very unproductive to wait. Yet the Apostles who were anxious to see the Good News message go across the world and the roman empire they still considered it important to be still at times. In this verse we have a wonderful snapshot into the early Church practice of seeking God. There seemed to be an emphasis not on asking God for things but rather seeking Him for Himself. God is the great important one and we all are nothing in comparison. Even God's work in the earth is second best to God Himself. You can imagine seeing the Apostles and co-workers on their knees or prostrate just waiting on God. No food, meals, coffee or snacks these brethren meant business or rather were simply happy to focus on what really mattered to them, their Heavenly Father.

Another aspect to the word ministered is that the Apostles served and worshipped God's Name. This extolled him for his goodness, grace, mercy, and power. Thankfulness also is always mentioned in the New Testament when believers pray. The Church is not our work it is His. It is not our agendas or plans that will make an eternal difference it is the Lord's. Saul and Barnabas knew these truths and therefore sought God in the stillness and worship. Then all of a sudden as clear as day-light they heard God's voice directing them to the next assignment for them. May this simple passage encourage us to wait at times, in the stillness and anticipate God directing us for our next task.