At the far end of our backyard is a pond. I often sit on our deck in silence, as there I am able to take in all of the beautiful sights and sounds of nature.
Everything from singing birds to squawking geese, it is quite a spectacle when I sit there and reflect. But at this time of year, we are graced with the extremely loud croaking of toads and frogs in the pond. It’s amazing how loud these little guys can get.
I recently read an article that stated that toads and frogs typically stay in the same location for 10 to 15 years. And I can believe it because I have been hearing the same amphibian voices ever since we arrived at this house five years ago.
In the middle of the night, you can hear them bellowing away. And if you thought it was loud during the day, you should hear the volume at night when everything else is quiet. And these guys will croak for like 15 seconds, then stop for a few seconds, and then resume their boisterous croaking once again. It’s very difficult to sleep since their cadence is so uneven.
But the thing that struck me the other night as I tried to fall asleep was how much these creatures mimic our prayer life.
When we pray, we typically cry out to God in a loud voice with all of our prayers and intentions, our needs and our wants, our goals and our desires. Then, we tend to wait only a few seconds to see if we hear any response. When we don’t get one, we holler out and repeat the cycle all over again. We tend to be a little impatient, only pausing long enough to catch our breath.
We need to remember that during our time of prayer, the Lord does want us to place our prayers and petitions before him. But then we need to be silent and listen – and not for just a few seconds. We really must take the time to truly listen because the Lord has something to say to us, too. We just need to silence ourselves in order to hear God’s voice.
Let’s take this opportunity to experience that silence. Get as comfortable as you can and just be in God’s presence. Don’t be un-“hoppy” if you don’t hear God speaking to you at this very moment. Our mission is to simply become one with God and for God to become one with us.
So be still and listen. Not just because I “toad” you so, but just because it is a beautiful form of prayer.
Now is the time to spend with Jesus. He is here. He is present. He is waiting for you.
My son, pay attention to what I say; turn your ear to my words. Let them not slip from your sight, keep them within your heart; for they are life to those who find them, bringing health to one’s whole being. ~Proverbs 4:20-26
We all need some prayer, silence, and solitude.
