Watch or listen to the above recording, and/or read transcript on how to pray. Read blog post below for biblical references and information. 

Silent Prayer (blog post)

God said, “Be still, and know that I am God.” He is God. We are not. Yet oftentimes we play God, judging ourselves and others. (As long as we play God we will never know God.) We blindly make decisions, lacking faith to allow Him to work out our lives. Rather than staying present (with God), we dwell on the past with the accuser (the Devil). We also often remain lost in thought, imagining a false future.

God knows what we need. As Jesus said in the Lord’s Prayer: “Thy will be done.” That’s the Father’s will — not ours. The Bible says that we don’t know what we should pray for, but the Holy Spirit intercedes on our behalf, with groans that words cannot express. He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God. (Romans 8:26-28)

Here is an outline for this blog post:

• This is the Lord’s Prayer.
• All thoughts are lies.
• Pray and watch.
• God gives perfect peace.
• Love, don’t hate (Don’t be angry).
• Commit to prayer.

See links below to download or share the Silent Prayer. 

The Silent Prayer is the Lord’s Prayer

When the disciples asked Christ to teach them how to pray, he told them this, according to the Gospels:

Our Father who art in Heaven, hallowed by Thy name.
Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in Heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread,
And forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
For Thine is the Kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen.

When you do the Silent Prayer — you are doing the Lord’s Prayer. You are quietly acknowledging the Father is God, and you are not; that it’s not about your false glory. You see that His Kingdom come, and allow His will be done through you. And you see that He’s taking care of you, supplying your needs, and you’re allowing Him to guide you. When you’re quiet, you’re letting the truth catch up with you.

All Thoughts Are Lies

Be careful what you believe. All thoughts (aside from practical thoughts, which come from seeing what’s in front of you to do) come from the darkness of the imagination. We’re often tempted to hold onto and converse with thoughts and ideas in our mind, and they lead us astray. Thoughts are not the voice of God. Christ said, “I am the good shepherd…. My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.” But most people listen to the voice in their head, thinking its themselves talking to themselves, or even God talking to them.

Jeremiah the prophet said, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked.”

Satan attempted to trick Jesus in the desert, and succeeded with Eve in the garden, tempting her with the knowledge of Good and Evil. The Devil reinterpreted and contradicted God’s words, just as he does in people’s minds today. Intellectual chatter of the mind deceives us, twisting and misapplying “truth” we’ve learned — whether from life, the Bible, preachers, or wise men. Knowledge puffs up the ego, and you think you know the truth you’re spouting, but it comes out empty and vain, both out of your mouth and in your life.

We wage a spiritual war, as the apostle Paul said, “Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.”

Note: Take every thought captive!

Pray and Watch

Jesus said to pray in secret — not in front of others to appear holy. Jesus rose early in the morning while it was still dark, to pray alone. He often withdrew from the crowd. (Nowadays young people can hardly withdraw from our cell phones!) 

Jesus warned his disciples: “Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation.”

Pray and watch — and stay with it no matter what.

A great passage from Paul reads: 

“See that none render evil for evil unto any man; but ever follow that which is good, both among yourselves, and to all men. Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing. In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. Quench not the Spirit. Despise not prophesyings. Prove all things; hold fast that which is good. Abstain from all appearance of evil.  

“And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it.” (1 Thessalonians 5:15-23) 

Similar to what Paul wrote, Christ commanded us, “Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.” Leading up to that, Jesus said that we should love even our enemies. (Nowadays, families don’t even love one another! Grown adults are afraid to confront and forgive their mothers!) 

Perfect Peace

Many Christians do not believe that we can have perfect peace in this life. But Isaiah the prophet said to God: “You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You.” It’s in the Bible!

Christ commanded us, “Take no thought for your life,” or about tomorrow, because each day has enough evil of its own. “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.“

Jesus said, “Do not worry.” Yet today, Christians worry! Because they don’t know any better, they excuse it, going on living in darkness just as the world does. But “greater is He that is in you, than he that is in the world.”

1 John 4 reads:

“There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love. We love him, because he first loved us. If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen? And this commandment have we from him, That he who loveth God love his brother also.“

If you have anger, you don’t have peace. You have fear, doubt, worry, insecurity, and are emotional.

Love, Not Hate

Anger (or hatred) is an evil spirit, the nature of Satan. Many are quick to reject this truth, referencing Ephesians 4:26, “Be ye angry and sin not.” They tend to ignore the rest of the passage that says, “let not the sun go down upon your wrath,” and: 

“Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.” (Ephesians 4:31-32) 

Christ said to forgive our brother however many times he may sin against us. He told the parable of the unforgiving servant who was forgiven much by his master, but in turn did not forgive even a little for his fellow servant. He choked him, and threw him in prison, demanding payment of his fellow servant’s debt! Upon hearing this, the master sent the unforgiving servant to be tortured until he repaid what he owed! Jesus told his disciples, “So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses.“ (Matthew 18)

In the Lord’s Prayer, Jesus said, “Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.”

Jesus also commanded:

“And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses. But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses.” (Mark 11:25-26)

We have no right to be angry. We are not God. 

Interestingly, the verse, “Be angry and sin not,” parallels Psalm 4:4, which reads: “Stand in awe, and sin not: commune with your own heart upon your bed, and be still.” 

Silent Prayer

Jesus said:

“And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.

“But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking. Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him.” (Matthew 6:5-8)

So go into your prayer closet, so to speak (it need not be an actual closet). Be quiet, and let the truth catch up with you. You can of course continue with your “whooping and hollering” prayer before (and after) you do the silent prayer. But such prayers are vain chatter that come from worry and selfishness — praying to Satan, rather than God. God hears the prayer of the spirit, not of the intellect. But see for yourself the right way to pray; do not merely take anyone’s word for it. 

Jesse Lee Peterson offers simple instructions on quiet prayer. (Life, God’s way, is simple. But adults tend to complicate it, often without realizing it.) He urges people to pray morning and night, every day — and during the day, keep your mind present with your body, not in the imagination. Pray without ceasing. You can listen to the recording to get the point of how to do it, and after a while, you won’t need it anymore. But again, stay with it, no matter what.

Silent Prayer links: 

In a web browser, type in SilentPrayer.video — easy web address to remember (it redirects to YouTube). Share “Silent Prayer dot video” with friends and family! 

ALSO ON  SoundCloud  |  Spotify  |  Apple  |  Rumble  ||  Download audio MP3  ||  Spanish (YT)

Questions, Feedback, More Info…

Call-in to The Jesse Lee Peterson Show with your questions, comments, or disagreement on prayer! 1-888-775-3773 (which is 888-77-JESSE), while the show airs live Monday through Friday, 6-9 AM PT (8-11 AM CT / 9-noon ET)

Call the BOND office, 1-800-411-BOND (2663), local number 323-782-1980, to schedule private counseling, confirm our monthly Men’s Forums or Women’s Forums, and to get more info.

Join us at Church with Jesse Lee Peterson (Sunday services for fellowship, not intellectual debate!)

Check out our YouTube playlist on the Silent Prayer to hear more. Jesse walks different people through how and why we should pray quietly.

Read Jesse’s little guide, The Seven Guaranteed Steps to Spiritual, Family and Financial Success, which includes a chapter on Prayer. Order from BOND (JLP can sign it) or Amazon (Kindle or Audiobook). 

Silent Prayer (Transcript) 

Clip transcript from Church with Jesse Lee Peterson, April 11, 2021: Jesse leads the congregation in the Silent Prayer. 

Let’s do the Silent Prayer 

What I want to do first, because I’ve been getting so many requests to do it, and I think it’s kind of nice… You know how I ask you guys to make sure you do the Silent Prayer? So before we get — as a part of getting rolling — we’re going to do the silent prayer for a minute. Do you mind? And let the Lord have His way. 

Let go, be aware 

So what we’re going to do is totally relax; let go, all right? And just let all thoughts go. Whatever happened this morning is over. Uh… Tomorrow it doesn’t exist. Lunch time doesn’t exist yet. And so just let go. 

And I want you to be aware of the noise around you. And, uh, in the Silent Prayer, you should not be distracted by noise, because it’s happening in the present. All right? 

Pray without ceasing 

So you can put your palms up on your lap or something. And the reason palms up because God is in us and He is above. all right? and so you can put your palms up and just sit back and relax in your chair, totally relax, and close your eyes. And when you close your eyes just let them relax in the sockets. Let go and let God. 

And the most powerful thing you can do for yourself is pray without ceasing, and prayer without ceasing meaning: Be aware. Not in your head thinking about tomorrow or yesterday, because it doesn’t exist. So you want to practice being in the presence of God. God said come into My presence. 

And so just totally relax and we from the top of your head, just relax and become aware of the top of your head, become aware of your eyeballs relaxing in the sockets, and when i say relax in the socket, just means relax — as though you’re about to go to bed at night and take a good sleep. Just relax. 

And traveling down the body, let your tongue relax in the mouth, just let it relax. Totally relax. Travel all the way down the shoulders. All the way down your arms, to the tip of your fingers. 

Some… you may feel a little warmth, you might feel nothing, you might see total darkness, you might see the light; but whatever happens, you are the observer. You are becoming the observer. Let yourself breathe; you don’t have to force yourself to breathe and let yourself breathe; you breathe naturally. 

Totally relax and let yourself just melt in the chair, and, traveling all the way down your legs, your upper legs, just being aware. It’s like energy traveling all the way down your body, and that’s the energy of God. This love traveling all the way down your legs, just being aware of it, all the way down to the tip of your toes. 

Don’t hold onto anything. Watch thoughts. 

Totally let go. Don’t hold on to anything. There’s nothing, no one, or anything, that’s that important that you need to hold on to it. You always want your glass to be empty. Always. So with your eyes closed, you’re relaxing, I want you just to become aware of the center of your forehead. 

Just stand back and be aware of those thoughts, and see whatever the first thought that comes. It’s like you’re standing on the sidewalk, looking toward you’re home, and someone is breaking into your home, but they don’t see you observing them. That’s how you want to observe the thoughts, right above your eyebrows. Just relax and be aware of that. 

Look toward there, but don’t try to control any thoughts. Don’t, um, don’t concentrate on any. Don’t try to pick out the good ones and let the bad ones go. Don’t try to suppress them. You are not your thoughts. 

It’s just you escaped into your thoughts when you were traumatized, because at first, as a little kid, you operate and live by the wisdom of God. Then you were traumatized you escaped into your imagination. As an adult it’s time to repent, and come out, and come back to the wisdom, the light of the Father. 

So just whatever thought comes — and by you being aware of them, right now, looking for the first thought — you might not get any because you’re aware of them, but if you do, let it go. Don’t hold on to it. 

Like watching a movie. Even in talking with people. 

It’s like you literally sit back at home, watching a movie, a good movie. You’re sitting on the couch, watching it, different scenes are coming and going, and then they go to commercials, and they come back to the movie. All you’re doing is observing the movie. The movie’s happening on its own; likewise with the thoughts, you are not your thoughts; you have never been able to control them or anything. 

Now you just want to observe them, right above your eyebrows, just be aware that you’re standing back here and looking toward the center of your forehead, the real you, looking at the not-you, and this is all to it! It’s no more, or no less. 

And the more you do it, the easier it becomes. You learn to be still and observe. 

And then during the day, when you’re working or hanging out, or having breakfast or dinner or lunch, or whatever you do, or you’re talking to someone on the phone or in person — you want to be aware. Practice being aware. And so, if you go in your head while you’re talking, no, don’t make it a big deal. Just come back and be aware. 

How long? Let yourself grow to an hour 

I recommend when you first start out, 10 or 15 minutes. And as you grow in the Spirit, you’ll be able to sit at times for an hour. An hour is enough. If you want to sit longer, it’s up to you, but… 

Even in the scriptures, Christ said: You guys couldn’t even hang out for an hour! You went to sleep! Right? So just pray for an hour, but when you first start out: 5 minutes, 10 minutes, 15 minutes, and let yourself grow into it. You will. 

And… in the beginning, you do the prayer, and it’ll work out. But then you might get stressed out at work or somewhere. Just take a moment, go to the bathroom, sit and come back to reality. Come out of the darkness, into the light. 

Be quiet for a few minutes

So what I want to do is just be quiet for a few minutes, one or two minutes, and let you become aware of the sounds around you. Let yourself breathe, and totally relax. So we’ll be quiet for a couple minutes, let your hands relax on the lap. 

…. 

How God works through you… Presence.

You really want to become the observer of life. You’re not the Creator. God doesn’t need your help. He makes all things happen through you. He just needs you to be available, instead of lost in your head. 

You were created so that He could create love through you. And love conquers all. 

Let the light shine. 

So this is all to the Prayer! You don’t need to add or take away from it. It will become easier and simpler. 

Oh, and I want to say that sometimes when you’re doing it, you know, if you throw up or start shaking, or whatever, just let it happen. Because the light is shining on the darkness, on the ego, and the ego doesn’t want to die. And so spirits have made a home in you. The light is causing it to leave. 

So whatever is happening, don’t freak out. Satan will tell you, “Ohh my God!” Whatever, right? Just relax. You’ll be fine. Unless you got some type of medical condition, then see your doctor. But just relax. 

Pray morning and night.

I highly, highly, highly recommend you do this every morning. When you first wake up, get up and wash your face if you want, and go sit and do it. AND every night before bed. And during the day, in the middle of the day, if you get caught up, take a moment to yourself. It doesn’t take about a second a minute. 

Light, Love, Life — from God

So this is all to it. And it will get easier and easier, because eventually you’re going to find yourself living in the light. And the light is the love of God, His energy, His Life. It’s everything. 

You’ll be surprised, what you remember, and everything. It’s gonna be amazing. 

Be still and know God

So I highly recommend you do it. It’s up to you. If you do the other “prayer,” shout, and hoop and holler, do that; and then be still and know God. Everything was created in stillness — not in overreaction. 

All right, so you can slowly come out of it. Open your eyes. If you want to stretch a little bit, you can stretch. But that’s all to it. 

If you want to hoop and holler, do your little hoop and holler! Let’s see how far that gets you! But if you really want to know God, be still and know. He doesn’t need you to control anything, all right? 

That’s amazing! Now I gotta wake up! 

—