Israel's King David, a man of action who built a powerful kingdom, said at one time that all he wanted to do in life was to "gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to seek him in his temple".
His statement in Psalm 27:4 underlines the importance of just spending time with God in quiet contemplation.
Dick Eastman, author of The Hour that Changes the World, calls this "waiting prayer" - the "silent surrendering of the soul to God".
The idea here is for us as praying people to come before God without a personal agenda but simply to enjoy him and the fact he is with us.
"Waiting is a time of silent love," writes Eastman. "Praise cries boldly: 'God, I see these excellent qualities in your nature.' Waiting says softly, 'God, I love you.'"
Richard Foster calls this "the prayer of rest" in his book Prayer: Finding the Heart's True Home.
Paradoxically, resting or waiting in adoration before God takes effort. Like many pray-ers, my mind is full of requests - some of them urgent - when I pray.
But Foster and other writers say I must consciously settle down and remove all distractions while I rest before God in loving contemplation.
The benefits are a growing intimacy with our Lord.
O. Hallesby, a Norwegian who wrote a wonderful book on prayer decades ago, uses a personal story to illustrate this approach to God.
His young son knew he was not to disturb his father while he worked in his study. One day, he entered the study tentatively - looking somewhat guilty - and pleaded: "Papa, dear, I will sit still all the time if you will only let me be here with you."
"Being alone with God is the central issue of waiting," says Eastman. "Genuine prayer is not merely asking for things; it is a relationship."
Eastman recommends spending time in the prayer of waiting or rest before plunging into our requests. In fact, we are not even to look for God's answers to our needs while we wait silently before him.
The writer of Psalm 46 states this simply in verse 10: "Be still and know that I am God."
Job's understanding of God was transformed when the Lord confronted him on his complaints about the catastrophes that struck him and his family. God revealed himself and his power to Job.
Job answered a series of profound questions from God with these words in Job 42:5:
"I had only heard about you before but now I have seen you with my own eyes."
Getting to know God better will change us, too.
His statement in Psalm 27:4 underlines the importance of just spending time with God in quiet contemplation.
Dick Eastman, author of The Hour that Changes the World, calls this "waiting prayer" - the "silent surrendering of the soul to God".
The idea here is for us as praying people to come before God without a personal agenda but simply to enjoy him and the fact he is with us.
"Waiting is a time of silent love," writes Eastman. "Praise cries boldly: 'God, I see these excellent qualities in your nature.' Waiting says softly, 'God, I love you.'"
Richard Foster calls this "the prayer of rest" in his book Prayer: Finding the Heart's True Home.
Paradoxically, resting or waiting in adoration before God takes effort. Like many pray-ers, my mind is full of requests - some of them urgent - when I pray.
But Foster and other writers say I must consciously settle down and remove all distractions while I rest before God in loving contemplation.
The benefits are a growing intimacy with our Lord.
O. Hallesby, a Norwegian who wrote a wonderful book on prayer decades ago, uses a personal story to illustrate this approach to God.
His young son knew he was not to disturb his father while he worked in his study. One day, he entered the study tentatively - looking somewhat guilty - and pleaded: "Papa, dear, I will sit still all the time if you will only let me be here with you."
"Being alone with God is the central issue of waiting," says Eastman. "Genuine prayer is not merely asking for things; it is a relationship."
Eastman recommends spending time in the prayer of waiting or rest before plunging into our requests. In fact, we are not even to look for God's answers to our needs while we wait silently before him.
The writer of Psalm 46 states this simply in verse 10: "Be still and know that I am God."
Job's understanding of God was transformed when the Lord confronted him on his complaints about the catastrophes that struck him and his family. God revealed himself and his power to Job.
Job answered a series of profound questions from God with these words in Job 42:5:
"I had only heard about you before but now I have seen you with my own eyes."
Getting to know God better will change us, too.
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