Prayer

“Listening is a lost art in the human race…”

Welcome to Gateway’s prayer page. We hope it will inspire, challenge and encourage you in your prayer journey.

“Many of us today find it difficult to hear the still, small voice of God because most of our prayer time is spent storming the gates of heaven with an endless barrage of noisy demands. We have failed to understand that prayer is a two-way street, which not only enables us to speak to God, but also lets us hear the desire of His heart.” - Larry Randolph

It is difficult to find silence in an age of technology and information. Silence challenges our cultural addiction to amusement, words, music, advertising, noise, alarms and voices. We find silence uncomfortable but there are occasions when it is good to sit down, ask nothing, and just listen. It is during those moments of solitude that we will begin to sense the heart of heaven.

Silence is defined as “The absence of sound, stillness, a period of time without speech or noise.”

Scripture tells us, “There is a time for everything, a season for every activity under heaven….a time to be silent and a time to speak”- Eccl 3:1,7

“Know that it is by silence that the saints grew, that it was because of silence that the power of God dwelt in them, because of silence that the mysteries of God were known to them.” - Father Ammons

Maybe the prayer of Samuel should become our prayer “Speak Lord, for your servant is listening.’ - 1 Sam 3:9

Why is it that unless we have said something we feel our time has been wasted?

The Voice of the Beloved comes to us in the “sound of sheer silence” - 1 Kings 19:12

In stillness and silence, we release everything that prevents us from resting in God and listening, in the depth of our hearts, for that Voice that assures us of our belovedness.

Meditate on the following for a few minutes:

“Lord, I do not rush on.
I do not hurry on into the noise.
I silence my whirring mind, my racing thoughts.
I close my eyes.
I sit. I pause. I rest.
I stay here for a moment in the quiet.
I wait in silence for You only.

There is no need to rush on.
Do I want anything, anyone else?
In the prayer of quiet we meet.”

For those who would question the validity of silence in prayer, be reminded that prayer is simply conversation with God, a two-way street. We talk and He listens……He talks, and we listen.

All of us know how frustrating it is when talking with someone and finding ourselves unable to get a word into the conversation; it is totally one-sided. I wonder if God ever feels like that!

There is an old Indian proverb that says, “be quiet lest all your talking makes you deaf.”

Do you want to pray for Gateway but don’t know what to pray?

Pray that we would be a listening people.

“Speak Lord, for your servants are listening.” [1 Samuel 3:9]

How can we pray for you?

"The prayer of a person living right with God is something powerful to be reckoned with." - James 5:16 (MSG)

We have a team of people who regularly pray for our Gateway community, city & nation. If you would like prayer, please submit your prayer request below and someone will be praying for you this week!

If you would like to talk to our Pastoral Team, phone 021 318 663.

Submit a Prayer Request