Silent Prayer

Definition and Meaning

In its broad sense, silent prayer refers to any prayer offered inwardly without speaking aloud. In its narrower sense, it means prayer in which one ceases verbal petition and waits and rests quietly before God. The first sense serves as a counterpart to tongseong gido, in which worshipers cry out aloud together. The second sense is connected with contemplative prayer (prayer that rests in beholding God) and with the traditions of Christian spirituality. In Korean churches, the terms mukdo (默禱, prayer offered without words) and "meditative prayer" are also used with similar meanings.

Biblical and Historical Background

Passages commonly cited as a basis for silent prayer include the following:

• 1 Samuel 1:13: Hannah prays in her heart, her lips moving but her voice not heard
• Psalm 62:1: "Truly my soul waiteth upon God"
• Psalm 46:10: "Be still, and know that I am God"
• Matthew 6:6: the teaching to enter into one's closet and pray in secret

From the early church onward, prayer that rests in stillness developed among those who pursued the monastic life in the desert. In the Eastern Orthodox Church, this stream continued in the tradition of hesychasm, a name derived from a word meaning "stillness." Within Protestantism, the Quakers are well known for worship gatherings held in silence without a fixed order. In the twentieth century, a spirituality of silence and solitude became widely known across denominational lines through the writings of Thomas Merton, Henri Nouwen, and others.

Practice in Korean Churches

The most familiar form in Korean churches is the mukdo offered at the beginning of worship. For many years it stood at the head of the order of worship in many churches, though in recent years some churches have replaced it with a "call to worship" or a similar element. Brief silent prayer also takes place in settings such as the following:

• A time of individual prayer after a representative prayer (a prayer led by one person on behalf of the congregation) or a sermon
• A time of self-examination before receiving Holy Communion
• Personal prayer following tongseong gido at a dawn prayer meeting

The emphasis varies with the character of the denomination and congregation. Churches with a strong revival meeting tradition, including Pentecostal and Full Gospel churches, often center their practice on tongseong gido, with silent prayer before or after it. Churches that emphasize liturgy (a fixed order of rites), such as the Anglican Church of Korea and the Lutheran Church in Korea, frequently include brief periods of silence within the service, for example before the prayer of confession. In churches that hold Taizé worship, long silences are observed between songs.

Opinions differ regarding the forms of silent prayer. There is little disagreement about prayer offered without speaking aloud as such. However, some conservative denominations and critics have been wary of forms of contemplative prayer that involve emptying the mind or repeating a particular word, warning that they risk blending with Eastern meditation or mysticism. Practitioners counter that it is a distinctively Christian tradition of prayer grounded in Scripture and practiced together with meditation on the Word. A detailed discussion is found in the article on contemplative prayer.