Pastor’s Note: prayer is usually thought of in terms of what we say and how we say it, but

it ought also to be something that is silent so we may hear the voice of our good Lord. Psalm

46:10 puts it well:

“Be still, and know that I am God!

I will be honored by every nation.

I will be honored throughout the world.”

The acidic taste of chemicals in the air was the first distinguishing sensation that Phoebe was

aware of when she opened her eyes and realized that she was no longer on the scaffolding ladder but lying sprawled out on the floor of the massive tank. Her eyes stung from the acidic air. Phoebe brushed a few tears away from the corners of her eyes and began to push her self up off the floor when pain surged through her right leg. Cautiously, she tested it and slowly moved it. Her leg wasn't broken but it was badly banged up from the fall.

Grabbing hold of the scaffolding, Phoebe pulled her self up. She looked around the tank and

found her helmet. It was scuffed but undamaged. She placed it on her head, and with one hand holding the helmet in place, Phoebe looked up some two stories and found no one at the top. A wave of anxiety gripped her stomach. What was she going to do? Her leg was aching and there was no way she was able to climb to the top of the scaffolding to get out of the tank. Where was her coworker?

Panicking, Phoebe began to yell for help. For a brief moment she thought maybe if she were

loud enough that someone in the plant would her hear. But Phoebe knew the truth. No one would hear her over the roar of the pumps as thousands of gallons of liquid sloshed through the maze of tanks. Phoebe knew that she wouldn't be heard no matter how loud she petitioned for help.

Being trapped in the bottom of a tank a midst heavy industry does funny things to people. For

Phoebe it first meant FEAR and yelling. Make a noise. Be heard. Your voice matters. Sometimes that's

true, but certainly not when there's already plenty of noise. The prophet Elijah had an encounter with

God which deserved all of his silent attention:

“Go out and stand before me on the mountain,” the Lord told him. And as Elijah stood there, the Lord

passed by, and a mighty windstorm hit the mountain. It was such a terrible blast that the rocks were

torn loose, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. And after the earthquake there was a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire there was the sound of a gentle whisper. When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his cloak and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave.

And a voice said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” (1 Kings 19:11-13, NLT)

If you or I were Elijah in that moment we might not know exactly how to answer God.

Sometimes we babble like a brook but sometimes the brook is frozen solid. God understands us. He’s

with us no matter how wordy we may be. His Spirit, in fact, can aid us when all we have is silence.

Paul describes how He does so in Romans 8:26-27:

And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don’t know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words. And the Father who knows all hearts knows what the Spirit is saying, for the Spirit pleads for us believers in harmony with God’s own will.

Prayer, as usually thought of in terms of what we say and how we say it, is also done in the

ready silence and willingness to hear from God. As for Phoebe, she settled down and her fear subdued, allowing her to hear the faint voice of her coworker, heard but not seen from above.

"Sit tight, help is on the way. Don't worry. We've got ya!" Don't worry. God's got you.

Pray with the ears,

Pastor Aaron