Word of God Speak

At church this past Sunday, we sang Word of God Speak by Mercy Me. I have listened to this song a 100 times, but this was the first time I really “heard” the lyrics and they truly moved me.

I personally don't believe you have to get on your knees to talk to God. Now don't get me wrong, I do have a dedicated prayer time each day that is maybe more "formal," but I also have conversations with God throughout my day, when I am doing laundry, when I need patience with the kids, driving down the road, etc. Word of God Speak reminded me that a lot of my prayer time is me talking and God listening. It is a one sided conversation. But I realize that prayer also involves a quiet listening to God .

There is a chapter on Prayer in Sacred Rhythms by Ruth Haley Barton. (On a side note, this is a fabulous book that my small group is reading a second time. It focuses on spiritual transformation through the integration of solitude, scripture, prayer, honoring the body, self-examination, discernment, and the Sabbath.) Barton says that if we just stop the flow of our own words, we find ourselves resting in prayer. A place where we are empty and can freely receive whatever it is that God wants to give. “We come to him with empty hands and empty heart, having no agenda.” She goes on to say that "half the time we don’t even know what we need; we just come with a sense of our own spiritual poverty. Emptiness is the prerequisite for receiving."

To illustrate her point, Barton tells the following story:

A learned professor went to visit an old monk who was famous for his wisdom. The monk graciously welcomed him into his temple and offered him a seat on a cushion. No sooner had the professor sat down than he launched into a long, wordy account of his own accomplishment, his own knowledge, his own theories and opinions. The monk listened quietly for a while and then asked politely, “Would you like some tea?”

The professor nodded, smiled and kept right on talking. The monk handed him a teacup and began pouring tea from a large pot. The tea rose to the brim of the cup, but the monk kept right on pouring while the professor kept right on talking. Finally the professor noticed what was going on, leaped to his feet and demanded, “What are you doing? Can’t you see that the cup is overflowing?”

To which the monk replied, “This cup is like your mind. It can’t take in anything new because it is already full.”

We live in a world filled with noise. Everywhere we go there is noise, competing with our minds and not allowing our thoughts to go below the surface level. We have to make a conscious choice and substantial effort to empty our minds, so that we may hear God speak. We need to stop trying to put everything in words. Barton says in Sacred Rhythms, when we rest from the clinging, grasping and trying to figure everything out, the soul will return to its most natural state in God.

In my prayer times, I am going to make a renewed attempt to be still and quiet, to silence the thoughts in my head and the noises in my life and just rest in God, because..."The last thing I need is to be heard, but to hear what You would say. Word of God speak.”

Word Of God Speak

by Mercy Me

I'm finding myself at a loss for words

And the funny thing is it's okay

The last thing I need is to be heard

But to hear what You would say

Word of God speak

Would You pour down like rain

Washing my eyes to see Your majesty

To be still and know

That You're in this place

Please let me stay and rest In Your holiness

Word of God speak

I'm finding myself in the midst of You

Beyond the music, beyond the noise

All that I need is to be with You

And in the quiet hear Your voice

I'm finding myself at a loss for words

And the funny thing is it's okay