IN THE SILENCE OF THE HEART, YOU SPEAK | Founder Caitlin Nunez |

When we think of the structure of relationships we immediately think of communication and the conversation that enables two people to grow closer together. We imagine a natural dialogue of two hearts speaking back and forth continuously. Yet, we find our relationship with God one sided in its entirety. We find ourselves pouring out countless words, petitions, requests and cries for strength, and then picking our pain back up to carry on with the rest of what life entails that day.

 In our attempts to ensure that God has clearly heard our prayer, we indulge in vain repetitions and even start speaking empty words that lack faith at their roots, as a personal assurance that God can definitely hear. I can assure you, that God, in all of His power and omniscience, knows just what you said, and just what you need. However, He requires a heart that has intentionally positioned itself to hear from the voice of the Good Shepherd (John 10). He desires a decluttering of our spirits, so that we would sit before Him; unhurried, unrushed, but rather, patient and expectant on the small and still voice of the Lord. 1 Kings 19:12 reminds us that the voice of the Lord did not prevail by the means of a fire or earthquake, but rather the sound of gentle whisper.

We can spend hours waiting on a roaring voice or external circumstantial confirmation, simply because we are too lazy to sit before God and allow His Holy Spirit to do its job and bring back all teachings of Jesus spoken to us, to remembrance.  We find ourselves pleading for the Lord to guide our step, yet do not wait for the instruction of how to take that step, or when to begin walking. We sit at His feet broken from internal pain begging for some type of comfort, yet we don’t give him two minutes of silence to even cover us in the peace of Christ that we deeply desire.

The Lord is urging you to silence your heart before Him. The call to intimacy can’t be clouded with distractions, worldly cares, or a panicked heart that is desperate to tell the Lord about every single emotion being experienced. The next time you go into your prayer closet, petition with the Lord, then stop and listen. Ask the Holy Spirit to make you utterly sensitive to the prompting of His gentle hand, and to open your heart in a way that would be completely receptive and obedience to the call of God. Leave a good amount of time after you have finished speaking, to allow God to speak to the depths of your spirit, where you never even thought He could reach into. Be willing to lay your chaotic heart before God; bare, helpless, yet hopeful, expectant and filled with faith, ready for the guiding hand of His love to be made clearer than ever. 

Sometimes all it takes is silence. We can fall into the trap of over spiritualising hearing the voice of our Shepherd, but if we are truly HIS sheep, His voice should be the only whisper we are willing to follow. There is not a lack of words on Gods behalf, but rather a lack of silent hearts that are openly accommodating to the voice of His Spirit. It takes a humble heart to stop moving ones mouth and silently trust that God has provided wisdom and complete assistance in your circumstance. Are you willing to silence your heart? That despite its endless questions, worries, fears and doubts about the faithfulness of God, you would still choose to surrender your fast paced anxieties to Jesus and leave them with Him. And from that very moment, you would intentionally choose to wait patiently on God’s peaceful voice, to minister directly to your newly soundless heart. 

I pray you are encouraged and apply this principle of the silent heart before God in your own personal devotion with Him. 

Caitlin Nunez