This month in Albania is Unsung Heroes for my team, which means we don’t have a specific ministry to go to or a place to stay for the whole month, but instead we are traveling around Albania to find more partners and contacts for Adventures in Missions. We are in search for churches, missionaries, organizations, anyone who has a heart for Christ and wants to see the kingdom grow.
Prayer is an essential aspect of life in general, but has even more importance this month. We pray before we start anything or make any decisions. A new concept for me this month was asking God intentional questions like “Where should we go next?” or “What do you want us to accomplish this month?” during a time called listening prayer.
Listening prayer is hard for me. It’s a time when you sit in silence and just listen to God and what he is telling you. During my first listening prayer, I was thinking when was the last time I let God speak to me rather than me asking Him for things. My mouth rambles on and on to him not even noticing that I don’t give him the time of day to tell me anything. I wondered why God hadn’t been speaking to me like he had been to others and that’s it when I realized…
I need to be okay with silence.
Sitting in silence and answers of silence from God.
I used to think silence was a bad thing. Silence from the Lord after I had asked him questions and given Him prayer requests made me think He didn’t even hear me at all, but it is in God’s silence where I can find answers. It is in silence that I can bask in the greatness of the one who created me. It is in His silence I can understand him better and find peace. I have learned when I can take the time to sit in silence and just listen, it gives God the chance to speak into my life.
When in silence, God may answer with silence and that’s okay. “When you cannot hear God, you will find that He has trusted you in the most intimate way possible- with absolute silence, not a silence of despair, but one of pleasure, because he saw that you could withstand an even bigger revelation.” –Oswald Chambers. When I read this quote in my daily devotional, I knew after all the silence, God had given me answers.
Silence it not bad. It is a way for the Lord to speak to you without you getting in the way. Take the time to sit quietly in the presence of God and let him do his work. God hears every prayer and will give you the answers you need in His own timing and not what you want to hear on your terms. Don’t be discouraged if you aren’t hearing audible answers from the Lord. Take time to sit and just listen and let God do the rest. You may find in silence you hear more than ever before.
P.S.
I’ve been coffee free for exactly 31 DAYS! I don’t regret it at all and I feel GREAT! I’m still not sure when I will have it next, but when I do, ill be sure to let everyone know. If you have no idea what I’m talking about, refer back to my last blog J
Thanks for reading and God bless!
