Sometimes, silence shouts at us. Like when your sullen child does not talk to you in order to make a rebellious point, or when silence shouts of fear as an audience collectively gasps at the work of a daredevil on a trapeze. Other times, silence whispers to us. Like when you gaze silently in awe of a marvelous wonder of creation, or contemplate some new profound insight into the intricacies of life itself. In either case, silence always says something to us.
For two weeks now we have been allowing silence to speak to us in a contemplative prayer and communion service. We have allowed psalm 46:10 (Be still and know that I am God) to lead us into silence and to guide us out of silence. This past week one of the participants in the service awoke from the silence of sleep to pen these words:
Linger a while with Me and let the still small voice speak wonders in your ear.
Come, sit at My feet and let us commune together. As you give time to Me, I will increase your time to accomplish those necessary chores.
Just come, and linger a while with Me. Come and linger.
Silence speaks, calling us to come and linger at the feet of Jesus- listening to the wonders of God being whispered in our ears.
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I was at the first Thursday night contempletive prayer gathering. Being quiet before God and trying to take your thoughts captive during silence is not something that comes naturally. Steve told us from the beginning it would be a process and not to be hard on ourselves about it. It was such a safe place to meet with the Lord....even if we didn't feel like we "did a good job".
ReplyDeleteAfterwards some were openly sharing what the experience was like for them. Again, such a safe place to be learning this new type of prayer with a non-judgmental group of people. It wasn't like you had to "know how to pray" or even pretend like you knew what you were doing. It was totally welcoming, accepting, and loving.
Since then I have tried the contempletive prayer on my own. Still difficult. But I can't help but trust that God is pleased with the effort. I think it will be a process of growing. I think of a baby...you know it's growing, but you don't see the growth from one day to the next. After a month, a few months, and so on, when you look back at old pictures you can see the growth. I think that's how it will be with this contempletive prayer. If I keep trying...even if it doesn't seem like it's feeling easier....after a while when I look back it will be clear that I have grown in my relationship with God and have had true fellowship with Jesus.
Thank you for providing a safe and loving atmosphere for learning a new method of prayer.
If you want toiexperience a Communion Service like none you've been to before, do come to these Thurs. evenings with River of Joy. After the quiet of the Scripture reading, contemplative prayer, beautiful music, and petition time, then we celebrate the unique and intimate communion service. God's presence enfolds us there and His love touches each of us. How blessed this time has become!
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