Just Shut Up for Lent

Scripture is full of prayers. Psalms, the Lord’s Prayer, Jesus’ prayer in the garden, Paul praying for the early church – these are all wonderful models of praying, of talking with God. But one prayer we often overlook is the prayer of Samuel.

That’s right, the prayer of Samuel, the boy in the temple who couldn’t even recognize God’s voice calling in the night. But eventually, with the help of Eli, Samuel heard God’s call and responded with a six word prayer of his own:

“Now the Lord came and stood there, calling as before, “Samuel! Samuel!” And Samuel said, “Speak, for your servant is listening.” (1 Samuel 3:10)

Speak, for your servant is listening. I’ll admit, I can’t remember the last time I began to pray to God with words like these. Most of my prayers begin with empty promises, effusive praise, or supplications that are best described as the begging of a petulant child. When I pray, I am quick to speak, and slow to listen.

But what if we spent less time talking and more time listening when we pray? What if our only prayer was, like Samuel's, an invitation for God to speak? I suspect such a practice would remind us who is really in control (hint: it’s not us!). It would also be an act of faith, a living out of our belief that God can still speak to us. And in that holy silence, if we actually shut up long enough, we might hear the voice of God.

Of course, we may not really want to hear God’s voice, and that is why we so often fill the silence with narcissistic ramblings. If we let God speak, what will God say? As long as we are talking, we have the security of controlling the conversation.

As Lent begins, we are choosing to discipline ourselves for the next 40 days. If you want to give something up, give up talking so much when you pray. If you want to take something on, take on the discipline of holy silence. As we pray, God just might have something to tell us. But we’ll never know unless we shut up long enough to let God talk.