SILENT PRAYER OF SCRIPTURE

HOLY SCRIPTURE
THE SOURCE AND INSPIRATION OF THIS WEB SITE

Silent Prayer is prayer in silent stillness without any intrusive noise. It parallels vocal prayer, particularly in WORSHIP and ENTREATY.

Scripture is rich in reference to silent prayer from Genesis to Revelation.

Essentially, there are three types of silent prayer:-

WORSHIP & REST

MEDITATION

ENTREATY

The word contemplation (used only once in Scripture) is synonymous with MEDITATION.

WORSHIP & REST

He found him in a desert land and in the wasteland, a howling wilderness; He encircled him, He instructed him, He kept him as the apple of His eye. As an eagle stirs up its nest, hovers over its young, spreading out its wings, taking them up, carrying them on its wings, so the Lord alone led him, and there was no foreign god with him. Deuteronomy 32:10-12

The Lord alone leads you into the House of the Lord which is synonymous with the ‘Secret Place of the Most High’ (Psalm 91), the sheepfold (John 10) and the ‘inner court’ (Ezekiel 43).

Here your soul magnifies, and your spirit exalts (Luke 1). You worship the Lord in spirit and Truth (John 4). Sometimes, the Spirit leads you beside the still waters of the Holy Spirit where you are given rest for your soul (Psalm 23).

You go in and go out of the House of the Lord and find Pasture (John 10).

MEDITATION

Meditation is an exercise of the heart. You ponder things within your heart (Luke 2). You think deeply. This is any time day or night, for as long as you feel led in a quiet place without distraction. Scripture features three topics to ponder on, meditate on God Himself, meditate on Scripture, meditate on things which are true and good.

ENTREATY

Entreaty is where you offer up prayers of supplication or intercession. Supplication is a humble and earnest request made to God for oneself, while intercession is prayer on behalf of others. We pray at any time day or night. The Lord hears the prayers of those whose heart is tender, contrite and humble.

PASTURE

Jesus tells us we will go in and out [of the House of the Lord] and find Pasture. When we are disciples of Jesus we live in Pasture which us His Way. We are in the world but not of it.

A description is given because it is integral to WORSHIP & REST in the House of the Lord.

BRIEF HISTORY OF SILENT PRAYER

Silent prayer is based solely on Scripture. There is no liturgy, dogma or ministry to divide us. We are all in unity, one in this prayer genre.

As Jesus did, it can be practiced alone (1 Peter 5:7) or in a group (Mark 6:31).

The practice of SILENT PRAYER has had a bumpy ride over the centuries. The enemy is always trying to steal, kill and destroy (John 10:10) its practice.

There were a few wobbles over the 16th and 17th centuries which demoted the central role of JESUS.

But perhaps the biggest attack which reverberates today is the double confusion introduced to SILENT PRAYER around the 1950’s to 1960’s.

Eastern religions and eastern religious practice was one wave. The other came from new age neo-paganism and its practices. These play no part in SILENT PRAYER.

All of us, to a greater or lesser degree, practice the ‘Silent Prayer of Scripture'.

At is simplest you shut your eyes in silent stillness and offer words of worship to God.

In its expansive expression it involves WORSHIP and REST in the HOUSE OF THE LORD. Jesus is the focus as you move into silent prayer, during silent prayer, and as you leave silent prayer. You follow Jesus. You go in and out of silent prayer and find Pasture.