However, God most often comes to us in silence wherever we seek out that silence.  It is when the noise of the world is not overpowering that God can best speak to us in a small, quiet voice. 

Be still and know that I Am God. (Psalm 46:10)  

Silent prayer is the way to enter into the presence of God and to let the Spirit of God seep into the soul. It is a way to experience the loving presence of God without asking or requesting.  It is the antithesis of action; a conscious choice to simply “be,” to rest in God. It leads to the gift
of peace, of stillness and calm even in the most trying of circumstance. 

The practice of silent prayer is to turn oneself entirely over to God, to let God act and guide one’s life, to listen intently for God’s word. While listening might imply some action, it is more a state of being open and receptive to God.  It is a diminishing of “self” in favor of humble
acceptance of God’s will, a total commitment to God’s call in our life.  

All masks are shed and we stand naked before God in the reality of the One who made us, in God’s likeness and image. (Genesis 1:26)   

The more we are able to empty ourselves and enter into the reality that is God, our Creator, the more we come to know ourselves as dependent on God’s grace and love. We become aware of our limitations, our conditions for acceptance of others, our selfishness and sinfulness, and our desires for success or failure.  

The struggle to deal with lifelong behaviors based upon self-centeredness may be long and arduous. We do not give up easily, what has become comfortable behaviors for us, even those that we know are disabling. 

In a sense, we become addicted to practices, sometimes even religion or religiosity, that may be harmful to drawing closer to the Source of our being.  

However, all these are eventually put aside or sublimated to the overriding desire to draw close to God.  God’s graciousness and mercy to accept us and love us in face of all of our imperfections, overwhelms us. 

Click to check out Solitude and Silence in Meditation: Part 1