Even Silence Is PraiseSýnishorn

Praise God from Whom All Blessings Flow

“Let everything that breathes praise the Lord! Praise the Lord!” (Psalm 150:6)

In the New Testament, Jesus tells the parable of the lost sheep. The man has one hundred sheep—which is a lot of sheep—and he loses one of them. He searches high and low until he finds the one and then celebrates. He calls all his friends and neighbors together and they have a party. “Celebrate with me because I’ve found my lost sheep” (Luke 15:6 CEB). When the parable is talked about, we usually emphasize the one-in-a-hundred aspect. Everyone counts. Nothing is right until we’re all found. The lost one matters as much as the ninety-nine. But don’t forget the celebration. It’s a big deal. The guy calls all his friends and neighbors and probably uncorks his best bottle of wine or grills the fatted calf. He surely spent more on the party than he would have replacing the one lost sheep. Celebration matters, rejoicing in the recovered soul.

In Luke 15:10 Jesus said, “I tell you, joy breaks out in the presence of God’s angels over one sinner who changes both heart and life.”

The thing about praise is that we think of it as noisy, raucous. We think of making that joyful noise the psalmist talks about. Imagine, though, how you can do it in silence.

When I was a kid and couldn’t sleep, my dad would come and sit on the side of my bed, rubbing my back for a minute. Then he’d talk me through the different parts of my body from my foot to my head, talking me to sleep. It was like a guided meditation before I even knew there were such things. “Feel your toes falling asleep. See how relaxed they are? They’re falling asleep, one by one. Now your legs are relaxing; they’re so tired they’re sleeping too . . .”

I would never fall asleep right away, but a smile would come across my face. My father was letting me know I was loved. He was there with me. I could sing his praise. Not a word was spoken on my part—after all, I was supposed to be falling asleep—but I bubbled up with gratitude from within. Silent praise.

Think about what happens with a really good performance of a play or a concert or even after a sermon. A silence comes over an audience or congregation that’s profound. It’s a moment that is bigger than all of you put together. The silence is holy. It’s the greatest compliment you could possibly give to a performer, appreciative silence. You don’t want to clap because you don’t want to break the spell.

I can imagine God loving silence like that just like any of us do. Maybe loving it because it’s a shared silence. God is in it with us.

When you enter into contemplative prayer, all sorts of negative emotions will come up. You need to pay attention to them. Don’t think that the more you do prayer like this, the quieter the emotions will become. Not at all. What happens, though, is you get a little more used to listening to those emotions and recognizing them, putting them in their rightful place. Jealousy, anger, greed, self-pity, self-righteousness, and small-mindedness can take a back seat. You can replace them with praise, gratitude, love, hope, faith, and silence.

Contemplative prayer is a process. You may be perfect at it; I’m not. I get to work at it; I get to dip into silence; I get to make a place for it, seat it at the table. I get to praise God with my mouth shut and my eyes closed and my body still. The urge sometimes comes to raise a hand. Want to pray sitting at your desk? Raise a hand. Raise both hands.

Your colleagues will think you’re simply stretching. You’re doing that too. But you’re also reaching for the heavens. They’re not so far away. Right there above your desk and at your feet, all around you. Imagine that.

It’s no surprise to me that “How Great Thou Art” by Carl Gustav Boberg is one of the most popular hymns to this day. God’s greatness is ours to share. Reflected glory. “Then sings my soul, my Savior God to thee,” go the lyrics. “How great thou art, how great thou art.” It’s my soul that sings. Yours too. Praise God with all that is within you!

Respond

Do you have a favorite praise song or hymn? What is it?

Write a prayer of praise to the Lord.

Prayer

Precious Jesus, you are worthy of worship and you deserve our continuous praise!