Silence and Listening
Listening to God Through Contemplative Practices
Reflection By Robbin Brent
I found I had less and less to say, until finally, I became silent, and began to listen. I discovered in the silence the voice of God.
- Soren Kierkegaard
St. John of the Cross was first credited with the saying “Silence is the first language of God.” Thomas Keating went on to add, “Everything else is a poor translation. In order to understand this language, we must learn to be silent and to rest in God.” We can’t fully appreciate the importance of listening without valuing the importance of silence. It is in the silence where we discover how God is present and active in our lives, and where we grow our trust in the ways God speaks to us.
Today we will explore the practice of Intercessory Prayer as one way to listen more deeply to God. This contemplative prayer practice can help us to more clearly sense how we are all connected through God’s longings and desires: for us, for others, for the world.
I pray the following intercessory prayer questions,* calling God “Beloved of my heart,” but feel free to use whatever name for God resonates in your heart.
Beloved of my heart,
what is your prayer, your deepest desire, for me/this person/this situation?
what do you want my prayer to be for myself/this person/situation?
what, if anything is getting in my way of joining more fully and freely in your prayer for me/this person/this situation?
are there any boundaries I have created in my heart that I now need to relinquish?
is there anything you would have me say or do on your behalf?
Making It Personal: If you engaged with this practice, which questions resonated most with you at this time in your life? Is there one you’d like to write down to return to later?
*These questions were part of a Shalem seminar on Intercessory prayer and were inspired by the contributions of Rose Mary Dougherty.
Follow along with us this Lent season with our daily devotional and engage in discussion in our closed facebook group moderated by Robbin Brent, Jan Kwiatowski, and Scott Stoner.
In this group, participants will have a chance to share their responses to the prompts in the daily readings, and also the chance to receive additional material for reflection.