You Need More Silent Prayers

Silent prayers, defined, are prayers whose details are preserved and kept undisclosed.

People present silent prayers when they don’t want to share more details or do not want to say more than they are prepared to say. This avoids giving privileges for inspections and questioning. 

What comes to your mind when someone presents a silent prayer in a prayer meeting?

You may begin making some conclusions that they either go through something big or have fallen into an opprobrium and may not want to spill the beans.

You might have certain thoughts. However, the likelihood that you could be wrong is quite high. Therefore, you have more reasons to avoid overthinking. 

I have my own journey with silent prayers. During my times of ignorance, I reached a stage where I would not help friends with silent prayers. I often said, “If you can’t trust me with the details, just avoid it.” This was my mantra during those days. I was genuine in that I wanted to empathise with people as I stood in the gap for them. 

But was I ready to deal with the depths of woe that their souls were harbouring? What if they opened up that they were going in the direction they knew they were not supposed to go yet again? Was I ready to help them? What if they told me that they have registered terrible failures on the path to moral maturity? Could I understand the earnestness of their longing? Worse still, could I offer working solutions? What about what I consider too low for people of their spiritual calibre? 

My way to Damascus moment was marked by information and reality. I faced cases that left me helpless. I had no more solutions and had to seek the invisible invincible hand of God. 

There are lots of good arguments in favour of silent prayers:

1. Do Not Pour Into Human Ears That Which God Alone Should Hear

While psychologists and behaviour therapists encourage accountability partners for dealing with behavioural lapses, we must understand something important. There are details that God alone should hear.

As you can rightly guess, this has much to do with confessions. The only confessions that other people should hear are confessions for public sins or confessions to people you have wronged. 

However, there are lots of stuff that no human ear should hear.

I have learned a vital life lesson: we do not know how to deal with other people’s sins. We are liable to judge and seclude those we consider quite sinful and seclude them from responsibilities. We tend to hold under scrutiny even people who have had the matter squared with God.

We compromise ourselves when we ask about someone’s “particular sin business.” Such questions destroy friendships and weaken fellowship. Maybe you should read more on “What To With Other People’s Sins.”

Many, many confessions should never be spoken in the hearing of mortals; for the result is that which the limited judgment of finite beings does not anticipate…. God will be better glorified if we confess the secret, inbred corruption of the heart to Jesus alone than if we open its recesses to finite, erring man, who cannot judge righteously unless his heart is constantly imbued with the Spirit of God…. Do not pour into human ears the story which God alone should hear.

 —Ellen Gould White, Our Father Cares p. 83

2. We Burden People With Our Problems 

The other reason why we should make more silent payers is because we confront people with things they can’t handle. This just adds to their already burdened shoulders.

I am not saying that we should not bear each other’s burdens. Instead, I am saying that we can’t bear every burden that comes our way. Our friends and brethren can’t either. 

The truth of the matter is that people go through a lot. In this broken and increasingly breaking world, the burdens we have to bear multiply every day. Because they are quiet and are singing more psalms than lamentations, you think people are okay.

Everyone has some load that is too hard for them to carry. They deal with it by being positive. They focus more on the brighter side of life.

They agonise in their closets and testify of God’s faithfulness in Public. This is not living in denial but living in reality and maintaining a positive mindset. 

Furthermore, it would not serve for good reputation to be known as the Mr. or Mrs. problems.

When people know you to be complaining all the time and ever reaching out for sympathies, most people will be reluctant to associate with you or seek to know your welfare.

Every time they talk to you, all they hear is complaints. “I don’t have this, my husband did that, my wife is boring, my children are becoming sons of Belial, et cetera. They do not have solutions. Sometimes they simply avoid creating a fertile ground for you to broadcast your problems. 

Again, this does not mean we shouldn’t have people we can open up to, nor should we discourage people from opening up. Instead, we should know when and to whom to open up to.

Most of our burdens should be whispered to God in silent prayers and wait upon His salvation. He is an expert in dealing with human problems and woe. 

When perplexities arise, and difficulties confront you, look not for help to humanity. Trust all with God. The practice of telling our difficulties to others only makes us weak, and brings no strength to them. It lays upon them the burden of our spiritual infirmities, which they cannot relieve. We seek the strength of erring, finite man, when we might have the strength of the unerring, infinite God.

 —Christ’s Object Lessons, p. 146

Take it to the Lord in prayer.