“Ping!” goes your phone. You receive an e-mail, then another and another ... On the radio, they are discussing serious topics, but also nonsense. In the shopping malls, everyone is caught up in their own conversations and shopping lists. The world is a noisy place, isn’t it?

 

Everywhere, there is noise, opinions and information. More and more information about everything. More and more messages – invites, reminders, advertisements.

 

In this passage above from Matthew, Jesus gives guidance on how to pray. And it is not that you must always pray alone or in isolation, but you do not need to impress others with your prayers or fancy words.

 

For me, though, this passage does not just highlight the importance of prayer, but also the necessity of stillness. The mention of a room, where you close the door and are alone with God – or simply alone in silence with him – sounds wonderful to me.

 

Yes, sometimes we pray right where we are, no matter the place, and that is perfectly fine because God will hear us there too. However, I believe there are also times when we need to find a moment to be still, to quiet our thoughts and to communicate with God in silence – simply being in God’s presence in stillness. It is often when everything around me quiets down, that I not only hear God’s voice in my heart but feel it too.

 

Here is a challenge: See if you can find a brief moment of stillness during this week. Try to carve out some time to be quiet with God. Maybe, it is five minutes in your car before you head off to work or the half-hour before bed, alone in your bedroom. It may even be while you are waiting for something or someone. See if you can find a moment of silence somewhere.

 

I believe it will be meaningful and enriching for you, just as it is for me.

 

Prayer: Lord, help me find stillness in this noisy, busy life so that I can breathe deeply and focus on hearing your voice in my life. Amen.