My Silent Prayer

Monday, November 30, 2020

And after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire [a sound of gentle stillness and] a still, small voice. 1 Kings 19:12, Amplified.

When I was a little girl I remember hearing my businessman father come home and tell my mother about his day. Many times he mentioned that “So-and-so can go on with that deal now; he’s found a silent partner.”

I wondered what a silent partner was. One day I asked him.

“A silent partner,” my father explained, “is when two people start a business project. One person has the know-how, and he’s up front doing what needs to be done. The other person doesn’t do any of the work or have much to say about how it should be done, but he provides the money to get the project started. He’s the silent partner. One can’t function without the other.”

That simple explanation was enough for me then, and even now I use it to illustrate a point. All my life I have been a doer. If I saw anything that needed to be done, I couldn’t rest until it was done by me or someone else. I often acted too soon, spoke too fast, gave help where it wasn’t needed, or barged into someone else’s domain. My good deeds were often misunderstood, and I spent a great deal of time explaining or apologizing, feeling unhappy and full of remorse when neither of those options was possible.

Now that I’m older and learning more about living a Christian life, I have a Silent Partner to work along with me. My Silent Partner provides not only money but everything else I need. Unlike other silent partners, He also gives direction and knowledge. He doesn’t interfere with what I plan to do unless I ask His advice, then He provides me with printed instructions.

He has even given me a special “hotline” I can use at any time or in any place. I talk over my problems with Him, and He immediately understands. If I wait quietly, I hear His reply in a still small voice that seems to come from inside me. He doesn’t speak aloud, but His directions are so clear that He doesn’t need to. If I begin to do something wrong He is quick to point out my error. If I persist and end up in disaster, He doesn’t gloat or berate. He helps me pick up the pieces and start again.

My Silent Partner’s name is Jesus Christ, and He wants to help you, too.

—Goldie Down

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