In the Christian understanding of prayer, silence is synonymous with listening. A quiet mind, a sense of peace in one’s heart or a general calm throughout one’s being are beautiful gifts that may accompany prayer at times; yet none of these are the goal of prayer, nor are they its guaranteed fruit. To seek the consolations of prayer before seeking God Himself is ultimately to approach prayer in pursuit of an experience rather than an encounter with the living God.
Silence is most appropriate before God because of who we believe Him to be. God, the Creator of all, is not merely another being within the created order; He is Being itself- needing nothing and no one in order to exist. God is thus so utterly different that it is impossible for us to imagine or comprehend Him fully. Yet this same God, who transcends every category of human knowledge, freely reveals Himself to us, communicates Himself with us, and desires that we enter into a personal relationship with Him.
To approach God in silence, then, is to remain before Him with a listening heart. This posture implies a deep reverence for God and is an expression of humility on our part. It puts both God and ourselves in the proper relation to one another, for it is God alone who is worthy of our full attention, love, and worship. It is silence- understood as listening – that begins to cultivate within us a deeper responsiveness to the beauty and majesty of God.Therefore, when silence is sought as an end in itself, one can be sure that no genuine prayer is taking place. When, however, silence opens the soul to a deeper surrender to God because a more profound listening is occurring, prayer is not only beginning- it is advancing quite rapidly.
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