God’s Presence in Silence

As I enter this time of prayer, I repeat the words of Psalm 83:1, slowly, several times, making them my prayer to God:

‘O God, do not remain silent;

do not turn a deaf ear,

do not stand aloof, O God.’

Pause and repeat

Pause to read the passage Ps. 23:1–4

‘Holy Saturday is the day on which we wonder, where is God? Yet the answer may be that He is here with us in the muck. When we are present in a situation—no matter how terrible it may be—He cannot be absent. Whenever life gets tough and we cry out to God for help, our desire is always to be airlifted out of the theatre of war. But more often than not, instead of airlifting us to safety, God parachutes down to join us in the muck and chaos of our situation’*

It’s only natural to want God to airlift me out of ‘the darkest valley’ with a miracle, but are there any signs that He has actually parachuted in to join me here instead?

Pause to reflect

I take time now to thank You, Lord, that ‘even though I walk through the darkest valley … you are with me,’ and for the signs of Your goodness at work in my life.

Pause to pray

As I bring this time with God to a close, I pray a prayer of surrender by Richard Foster:

‘Today, O Lord, I yield myself to You. May Your will be my delight today. May You have perfect sway in me. May Your love be the pattern of my living. I surrender to You my hopes, my dreams, my ambitions. Do with them what You will, when You will, as You will. I place into Your loving care my family, my friends, my future. Care for them with a care that I can never give. I release into Your hands my need to control, my craving for status, my fear of obscurity. Eradicate the evil, purify the good, and establish Your kingdom on earth. For Jesus’ sake, Amen.’**

* Pete Greig, God on Mute, David C Cook, (Colorado Springs, 2020), p241

** Richard Foster, Prayer: Finding the Heart’s True Home (San Francisco: Harper, 1992), 24.