You make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand. Psalm 16:11
At times it may not be necessary or possible to engage God in prayer verbally. Prayer is the most effective way of communing with God without the interference of others. It is a platform of spiritual privacy wherein we can pour out our soul yearnings before the Lord without judgment or criticism no matter how desperate or broken we may be.
Since God already knows what we need before we even ask for anything, our method of prayer does not necessarily make our prayer more powerful. God responds to our prayers according to His will for us. He listens to the whispers of our soul as much as the verbal petitions we present. The soul of the righteous is always whispering to God. That soul stays in constant communication with the Lord as it seeks wisdom to live a Holy Spirit-led life.
In today’s text, David expresses his confidence in God as he seeks the Lord’s protection. The Psalm is called a Miktam, which means a whisper, or an expression that one does not want others to hear. David was faced with a personal challenge and sought God’s protection. But he did not want other people to hear his conversation with God, or these words were simply the whispers of his soul.
My soul is consistently whispering to God. No matter my circumstances or predicament, I can always cry out to God contemplatively with the confidence that He will hear and answer me. David started the psalm with a request for safety and protection. He ends it with gratitude for God’s unfailing joy and divine protection.
When we are perplexed by the vicissitudes of life, we should remember God’s faithfulness and unfailing love, so we do not lose faith and the courage to overcome. Perhaps, your condition does not allow you to express your need to God verbally. Or you do not want others to hear your petition for a variety of reasons. Some people are too sick or too scared to vocalize their prayers. To my brothers and sisters who are battling Covid and cannot talk, I say let God hear the whispers of your soul as you trust Him for healing. To those who live under very oppressive circumstances and are in desperate need of deliverance, I say, offer up your Miktam to God like David and rest assured the Lord will deliver you.
During the last month of my mother’s life, she was not able to talk much. One day, after undergoing emergency surgery, she motioned me to come and pray for her. With a heart filled with anguish, I cried out to God on her behalf. When I was done praying, she grabbed my hand and held on tight to express her gratitude. But I know that while I was praying, my mother was praying as well. The whispers of her soul were as powerful and meaningful as my verbal petitions for God’s comforting grace to sustain her in her hour of need.
At some point in life, most believers will put together their own Miktam. Yours may come when you face a financial crisis or the loss of employment, or the loss of a loved one. A Miktam does not have to be a lament. We can rejoice in the promises of God and profess our confidence in His deliverance in our Miktam. Indeed, we can celebrate the goodness of God with the whispers of our souls and serenade the heart of our Lord through words that are too deep to express vocally.
Questions for Personal Reflection
What is your preferred method for communing with God in prayer?
What are the benefits of whispering to God with the soul?
Prayer- Blessed Lord, I thank you for being a present help in our times of need. May those who are unable to share their needs and concerns with you openly not grow weary but persist in reaching out to you with the whispers of their souls. I thank you for being a God who understands and knows us even when we are not as articulate as we should be.