Did Jesus practice silent prayer?
I’ve been reflecting on that lately.
The Gospels don’t use the phrase “silent prayer,” but they do show something very clear:
Jesus regularly went away to be alone with God.
“Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.” (Luke 5:16)
He went off by Himself, sometimes early in the morning (Mark 1:35).
He stepped away from the noise, the people, and the activity.
And He did this especially before important moments:
Before choosing the apostles (Luke 6:12)
Before His passion in Gethsemane
There’s a pattern here.
Jesus intentionally chose silence and solitude.
We’re not told exactly what those moments looked like.
But they point to something deeper than just spoken prayer.
They point to being with God.
My friend Amos Smith reflects on this in Healing the Divide: Recovering Christianity’s Mystic Roots. He suggests that when Jesus fasted in the desert, it wasn’t only from food, but also from thoughts.
That idea has stayed with me.
Because to remain in the desert for that length of time, there had to be a deep stillness.
A resting in God.
And then Jesus gives us this:
“When you pray, go into your inner room, close the door…” (Matthew 6:6)
Centering prayer feels like a direct response to that invitation.
We go into the inner room.
We become still.
We let go.
We open ourselves to the presence and action of God within.
We allow God to pray in us.
Not by effort…
but by consent.
Over time, something begins to shift.
Quietly.
Gently.
Deeply.
👉 If you’d like a simple way to begin, you can download the free Centering Prayer ebook here.
Have you ever tried sitting quietly with God, even for a few minutes?