Wordless Prayer
The Book of Psalms unleashes a literal revolution when it comes to prayer. It turns our idea about prayer on its head. Rather than prayer consisting of us actively asking and God passively receiving our request, the psalter also imagines prayer as us resting passively while God takes the active role. Instead of prayer being chatty, Psalms envisions prayer being silent.
Specifically, in contrast to the asking and talking that characterizes so much of our prayer lives, the psalter presents prayer as wordless:
- Psalm 4:4 – Be angry, and do not sin; ponder in your own hearts on your beds, and be silent.
- Psalm 23:2 – He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters.
- Psalm 37:7 – Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him; fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way, over the man who carries out evil devices!
- Psalm 46:10 – “Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!”
- Psalm 62:1,5 – For God alone my soul waits in silence; from him comes my salvation..For God alone, O my soul, wait in silence, for my hope is from him.
- Psalm 131:1, 2 – O LORD, my heart is not lifted up; my eyes are not raised too high; I do not occupy myself with things too great and too marvelous for me. But I have calmed and quieted my soul, like a weaned child with its mother; like a weaned child is my soul within me.
Notice the impact of this wordless prayer. It conquers sinful anger (Ps. 4:4). It brings peace and contentment (Ps. 23:2). It frees us from having to be in control (Ps. 37:7). It creates an environment in which we experience the presence and sovereignty of God (Ps. 46:10). It enables us to see and sense God’s salvation (Ps. 62:1,5). It empowers us to find fulfillment completely in God (Ps. 131:1,2).
What might it be like to begin practicing a type of prayer that uses no words at all?
Waiting Prayer
But there’s even more to this upside-down prayer-paradigm. Not only does the book of Psalms contrast our chatty prayers with wordless prayers. It also contrasts our often obsessive activity in prayer with a surprising passivity. In the psalter prayer is not only wordless in nature, but waiting in nature:
- Psalm 25:3 – Indeed, none who wait for you shall be put to shame; they shall be ashamed who are wantonly treacherous.
- Psalm 25:5 – Lead me in your truth and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation; for you I wait all the day long.
- Psalm 25:21 – May integrity and uprightness preserve me, for I wait for you.
- Psalm 27:14 – Wait for the LORD; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the LORD!
- Psalm 31:24 – Be strong, and let your heart take courage, all you who wait for the LORD!
- Psalm 33:20 – Our soul waits for the LORD; he is our help and our shield.
- Psalm 37:7 – Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him; fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way, over the man who carries out evil devices!
- Psalm 37:9 – For the evildoers shall be cut off, but those who wait for the LORD shall inherit the land.
- Psalm 37:34 – Wait for the LORD and keep his way, and he will exalt you to inherit the land; you will look on when the wicked are cut off.
- Psalm 38:15 – But for you, O LORD, do I wait; it is you, O Lord my God, who will answer.
- Psalm 39:7 – And now, O Lord, for what do I wait? My hope is in you.
- Psalm 40:1 – I waited patiently for the LORD; he inclined to me and heard my cry.
- Psalm 52:9 – I will thank you forever, because you have done it. I will wait for your name, for it is good, in the presence of the godly.
- Psalm 62:1,5 – For God alone my soul waits in silence; from him comes my salvation…For God alone, O my soul, wait in silence, for my hope is from him.
- Psalm 130:5 – I wait for the LORD, my soul waits, and in his word I hope.
- Psalm 130:6 – my soul waits for the Lord more than watchmen for the morning, more than watchmen for the morning.
Waiting is counter-intuitive. Many of us still operate on a “don’t-just-stand-there-do-something” mentality. Waiting is too dependent for us independent people. Yet notice the fruits of waiting. Courage comes as we wait (Ps. 27:14). God answers as we wait (Ps. 38:15). Hope arrives as we wait (Ps. 39:7). Prayer for these ancient masters was not only wordless but waiting.
In fact, twice a psalmist ties waiting and wordless together:
- Psalm 37:7 – Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him.
- Psalm 62:1,5 – For God alone my soul waits in silence; from him comes my salvation…For God alone, O my soul, wait in silence, for my hope is from him.
What might prayer be like if you did more waiting and less acting?
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