Moving Beyond Words – by Tom Durst
Dec 23, 2015 1717
. . .your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. —Matthew 6:32 NLT
Many of God’s children have an anxiety as to whether they are saying the right words in their prayers in order to get the help they need. Whole books have been written about “how to get it right” when you pray. Actually no words whatsoever are necessary in prayer—not one!
Words help us human beings to express what is on our heart but they have no power to move God to do anything more than He is already doing—blessing His children. Words often are hindrances in prayer because they impose limits on ourselves in receiving all that God has for us. We often wear ourselves out giving God information about what is going wrong and what we think He should do about it.
God is the only power. If we remain in ignorance of His power we are disconnecting ourselves from it and then wonder why our lives are so powerless. We create separation from God in our thoughts by neglecting communion with Him. Then in desperation we may beg, plead, and even demand God to help us but often to no avail. When times get tough we are totally unprepared and may even say, “Why is God doing this to me?”
I believe that the highest form of prayer is communion with God in Silence, waiting upon Him in total surrender. Our only desire in going to God is for God, not to get Him to do something that we think He should do.
When we wait upon God in total Silence, perhaps starting out with words but by His grace moving beyond all thoughts and words we shall indeed begin to experience His presence and find the power that we need and answers to the many perplexities and trials of life.
Below are some simple prayers that make a good starting point for a time of devotion.
Speak, Lord, for your servant hears.—1 Samuel 3:9 ESV
yet not My will, but [always] Yours be done.—Luke 22:42 Amplified
Teach me your way, O Lord.—Psalm 27:11 ESV
Here I am. Send me.—Isaiah 6:8 NLT
– Tom Durst. Used with permission from the Union with God Devotional Forum.
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