In general honesty, my generation does not know how to shut up. We like to ramble and we love to hear ourselves talk. We are over the top, egotistical, and tend to be a slight dramatic when describing any story, experience, and event. Why we do this I think it has something to do with the general disdain we have towards silence.
Silence, is maddening for my generation. To some individuals it is like nails on a chalk board. An unbearable source of torture that if allowed to continue will cause some to do anything to escape its grip of death. To many my age it is boredom meets being unproductive. Lord, please save us from silence. Silence is awkward, weird, and creepy. Silence brings suspense to cinema, death to the comedian, and occasionally loneliness to the individual. We as people do NOT like silence. It is the epitomy of uncomfortable. However, I realized something new in me yesterday when I was praying. I don’t want silence being in my prayers.
Yes, I am making wide generalizations and my English teacher in college always told me to never make them. Yet, I think I can relate with many on this issue. I mean come on. If we don’t want silence in our worldly relationships, why would we want silence in our relationship with God? Again, silence is awkward and it’s the embodiment of a lack of forward movement. It struck a chord in me though when I realized that in my prayer life with God I just ramble to say the words that make me feel good. Is that really called praying or is that just talking yourself through something? Whatever it is, it didn’t sound, or feel, as if I was having a personal dialogue with God. In Isaiah 8:19, the question is asked, “Should not a people inquire of their God?” and I know what you’re thinking.
“Well, duh.”
Then why don’t we? I’ve noticed that when I pray, it seems that I would rather have a personal relationship with myself.
As young Christians, I find that many of us want to truly grow closer to God on a very personal and intimate level, and I often hear from many that if there was one thing they could learn from God, it would be to learn how to pray. But I know for myself that I tend to dance around the idea of leaving silence in my prayers for God to answer my prayers or reply back to them. Jeremiah 33:3 says, “Call to me and I will answer you…” God wants us to talk with him, grow closer to him, and have a PERSONAL RELATIONSHIP with him! How do I accomplish this if I abandon the second part of that verse by not letting him answer?
The point of this blog is to not question my generation as a whole, but rather myself. I know now that I need to have silence in my prayers. Dialogue is a two way street. If it were a one way street it would be a lecture, and sure you can love the content of what’s being lectured, but a relationship is impossible to be cultivated from it. I need to relearn how to pray.
So for this blog I ask for prayer as I am about to leave for my trip this Sunday. Please pray that I work on this diligently and passionately so that I can grow closer to God by the day and truly achieve that close and intimate relationship that I have been striving for since the beginning of this trip. Pray that I learn to pray so that I can not only pray for myself and other Racers around the world, but also my friends, family, and you back home.
Thank you so much for listening to the ramblings of a lunatic as this has been something that has been on my heart for some time now. I love you all so dearly and am honored to have you all in my life. I hope that you all have excellent endings to the holidays that will bring us into the new year and that you continue next year by taking that next step to be closer to God.
Thank you God for my friends, family, and loved ones.
In His Service,
Brandon Williams
God bless!
