09/23/2023
Is your house quiet this morning, and are all others asleep? Can you hear every little noise as the furnace ignites and the walls and floors pop and crack while settling into their new warmth? Can you hear your spirit whispering deep within you as it calls out..."Father, Father."? When we are still, and the world is hushed, the sounds of heaven become audible to us... this is the time for intimate conversation and spiritual embraces; this is the realm of eternal prayer.
“And rising very early in the morning, while it was still dark, he departed and went out to a desolate place, and there he prayed.”
Mark 1:35 ESV
In solitude, amid the hushed movements of the night, and in the silence left by a slumbering humanity... Jesus prayed and spoke with God. The verse above marks the morning that Jesus was told to go to Galilee and preach, and there were other major occurrences in His life that scripture documents as being preceded by a night of prayer and solitude.
You can wonder about why Jesus prayed at night, or you can wait until your household is asleep and slip off to a quiet place. Once there still yourself by clearing your mind and listen for the sound of your heart beating. In a few minutes you will feel as though you are on the verge of slumber, but at that moment of peace between conscious thought, and unconscious dream, you will hear your spirit as it whispers "Father, Father" and hear His soft reply... "Here I am."
This is the moment that has thrilled those who pray for thousands of years, and once experienced it is what draws you time and time again into the quiet solitude of God's presence, and into the portal of eternity.
We can pray in many ways and places, but for most of us our days are spent in constant motion and amid the distractions of a busy life. God hears those hurried prayers we offer there, but most of them are asking for help in some immediate crisis and a few are giving a quick thanks. The prayers offered in the solitude and quiet of night are altogether different, they are whispered cheek to cheek with our lips pressed close to our Father's ear, and they are barely audible beyond the lobes of our ears. These are sincere prayers of praise, of thanks, and of confiding our innermost thoughts and dreams in Our Heavenly Father. We still ask for help, but more often forgiveness, and as the words are spoken our tears run down the face of God. In this way, the collar of the Father is ever damp with the tears of our repentance.
Prayers have substance, and they live on after we have prayed them. A couple of years ago I took a tour of a Greek Orthodox Church. As I learned about this church's liturgy and exercise of sacred ceremonies, I heard about a method of prayer that I had seen before, but never participated in. For a dollar you can purchase a prayer candle, go to the prayer table and after lighting it you pray as it burns. Following the tour, I thought about this for a few minutes, and then I purchased one of the slender ivory colored prayer candles, took it to the prayer box full of sand, lit it from a large candle burning in the center, and stuck it down in the sand among the other candles already flickering there... then I began to pray. The sweet smell of the beeswax candles was pleasant and lifted me away. There was something amazing about this; it was like I had in some way joined the physical world in which I was standing with my spiritual prayers.
As I prayed in the quiet of the church, I spoke with the Lord just as I was accustomed to, but after my last Amen, when I turned away, came the real blessing; a blessing that I hadn't expected. I looked back and there was my candle... still burning, and it occurred to me that the prayers I leave with God in the quiet of my predawn mornings are much like this... they continue to live on with Him and provide a flickering light long after I have prayed them. They have substance and a sweet smell. They are not just vapor but tangible.
“And another angel came and stood at the altar with a golden censer, and he was given much incense to offer with the prayers of all the saints on the golden altar before the throne, and the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, rose before God from the hand of the angel.”
Revelation 8:3-4 ESV
If an angel can hold our prayers in his hand then they have substance, and the thought of that revelation mixed with the understanding that I am leaving my prayers burning with God is almost spiritually overpowering.
Solitude, quiet, whispers with God, leaving a piece of ourselves with our Father in prayer, and the sweet smell of heaven, are sensually powerful experiences and carry us to a level of spirituality that quick prayers between jobs or meetings can never reach.
Tonight I invite you to prayer, not the "Bless mom, and dad, and Aunt Jane" prayer of kneeling children, but the cheek to cheek with God prayer that takes you to the edge of heaven and eternity. I invite you to leave a handful of yourself in the palm of an angel as you whisper your desires and dreams in the ear of our Father. I entreat you to let your tears wet the collar of the Almighty. I challenge you to glance back at the flicker of candlelight as you return from your heavenly encounter and realize that your prayers are still alive in the Lord's ear... and will be so for eternity.
Prayer:
Father I thank you for the quiet times and soft whispers. I thank you for holding me close in the still of the night and letting my flame of prayer join together with your divine light. I thank you for the comfort you give, not just at the moment in which I pray, but for eternity. You are gracious and loving beyond all description, and my groans and tears can barely describe the feelings I have and my desire for your forgiveness. Help me to remember how powerful my prayers are and the importance you place on them. Never let me think that I have made a trivial request of you or that you have forgotten a single word I have whispered to you. I praise your name both day and night Holy Father; I praise you for your grace, mercy, and the many blessings you give me. You hear my every word and none fall short of your attention... you provide me food before I am hungry, and begin easing my pain before I wince or ache. Keep me Father in every prayer and every need... in your steadfast goodness I place my trust, and during my night sorrows I hear the love in your voice, even as my tears wet your cheek. You love me more than I love myself, and for that I place you high above me and long to speak with you in the quiet times when no other hears. You are my Lord, and God; praised be your name. Hear me Father as I call for you... "Father... Father."
Rich Forbes