We sing a song in worship, “The Heart of Worship.” This song speaks about what is left when the music is gone, and we are left with only our voices lifting praises to God. But what happens when all sound is gone, and we are faced with moments of silence? How do we worship God in silence?
I have witnessed worship offered to God by members of our deaf community while at First Baptist Roanoke when they host our SBC of VA Homecoming. While those around them are singing, they are awash in the vibrations of the sound waves, but they are not actually hearing any sound. Still, they worship. They worship just as strongly and honestly as those of us who can hear, and they are often moved by the moment of worship just as those of us who hear are moved by the music of worship. They sing. Either with their voices or with their hands or with their bodies, but they sing, and God finds glory in their worship.
Psalm 37:7 tells us to come before our Father in silence.
Be silent before the Lord and wait expectantly for Him;
There is no need for idle speaking. We do not need to try entertaining God with fancy words or phrases and there is no need to try to convince Him of our cause. Come before Him. Speak truth. Speak from an honest heart and wait. Praise Him for Who He is! Ask for forgiveness. Ask Him to fulfill your needs. Then wait.
I knelt in silence this morning in a quiet place. I allowed the Spirit to wash over me. I could hear things in the distance, but I tried to concentrate on the silence and tried to hear what God was speaking to me. I saw walls in my life that needed to be torn down if I was going to run to God with abandon. I heard God calling to me and reminding me that He is not only my God, but I am His son. He purchased me with the blood of Jesus, and I now belong to Him. I owe it all to Him. I prayed in silence for our country. A country that has been silent far too long, and I asked God to allow the voices of the people of the United States to be opened in worship once again. I prayed for our church. I prayed for the church. I prayed for revival. I prayed for our brave men and women who fight for our country and those who are just as brave, if not more so, who fight for our faith on the mission field. I prayed for the lost to come to the Savior that I know. But the silence was not truly silent.
The moment I stopped listening to the world around me I began to listen to the Spirit within me. I began to hear the voice of God, and I started to hear His call. I began to understand what He wanted me to do and where He wanted me to go. I truly began to worship. I began to commune with my God. The still small voice of my God began to speak louder and more clearly the longer I sat in silence. And I began to worship.
My world is filled with music. My world is filled with sound. Radios, music players, videos, the voices of people, televisions, music I have written, and the sounds of God’s creation surround me. There is nothing wrong with sound, but for a little while each day, we need to push the world away. We need to strip worship down to the bare minimum and have communion with God. And we need to listen to what God says and do what He says to do. After all, worship is about God, not me or you. Worship is vertical, not horizontal. Worship, just like life, is about bringing glory to our Father. To bring glory to God, we must bring something of worth. We must bring a genuine love for God. We must worship and go to Him in desire, not duty. We need to pray with concern, not guilt. We must desire to worship for we are created for worship.
As Matt Redman said in his song:
When the music fades all is stripped away
And I simply come
Longing just to bring something that’s of worth
That will bless Your heart
Don’t wait for Sunday morning to come to worship. Worship every single day in the silence of your prayers and be amazed by the glory of the Father.
Worshiping God 