TT X a
Golden
Silence
ast Saturday morning, as Alex and I
presented the Boston Noon Hour to a men’s prayer breakfast in
Braintree, nothing seemed to
impress them – until we got to the part about the silence. At each
of the Wednesday noon hours at Tremont Temple, at a certain point
– usually towards the end of the hour, but sometimes soon after we
begin – there comes a time, when the Holy Spirit does not give
anything to anyone to pray. We just fall silent and wait, content
to abide in His presence.
I remembered the first time it
happened at Tremont. Unused to it, I wondered if I shouldn’t say
or do something. Should I call upon God to pour out His grace on
the city, and awaken the slumbering hearts of those who know
Him?
But we’d already done that. And had
we not asked Him to teach us how to pray? To give us each prayer
that He would have us pray?
I looked around. None of the others
seemed at all concerned. Their eyes were closed. Some were
smiling.
More silence.
Finally I wrote on my clipboard,
“Father, do you want me to pray something? Should I pick a hymn? We
could sing, “Holy, Holy, Holy – ”
In my heart I heard,
My
son, are you not enjoying
this?
Well, yes, but –
Relax, and enjoy it with
me.
So – I did. And for the first
time came to appreciate the old Quaker Prayer Meetings. They would
gather and sit in silence in the presence of God, abiding in Him,
until one felt called upon to say something. It was that way with
our silences at Tremont. We would listen in our hearts or just –
be.
I had learned to pray in a Holy
Spirit-led group in 1970. Then, as now, we tried to pray only what
He gave us to pray. Some prayed in the flesh, admiring their
efforts. Others prayed from the soul, treating the group to a
mini-sermon. But most waited upon the Lord, not speaking until He
gave them utterance.
New at it, I was so self-conscious
that I refused to pray the prayer that came to me, even though I
was pretty sure it was Him nudging me. So – He gave the same
prayer to the person next to me. I almost wanted to say, “Hey,
that was my prayer!” It
took only a couple of weeks, before I would what He gave me
to.
Now He was teaching me the opposite.
Not to show off my ego, or be nervous if nothing was happening.
Not to speak unless spoken to, by Him. To be content to rest easy
in His Spirit.
As we broke up Saturday, the men
promised to pray for us. And two, old prayer warriors for many
seasons, said they’d come as soon as they could get
there.
Why don’t you come this noon, and
discover, as I have, just how golden a silence can be.
