“The real lesson is teaching us to be still and wait upon God.”

Elizabeth Mabie
Spur Ottawa Writer

There was no need for a fancy meal or a moonlit stroll, but it was a day for quality time and deep listening. The day was called “A Date with God”, put on by One Way Ministry’s Workplace Network. It was a day-long virtual retreat, held June 16, where participants deepened their relationships with God through exercises, group discussions, and plenty of quiet time for prayer and reflection.

“I’m absolutely amazed by how many Christians I know, including myself, didn’t realize we are meant to wait upon God for answers and listen to His voice,” says Doug Sprunt, the event facilitator. “When we simply wait, He honours this and is so faithful.”

Before COVID, Sprunt and several co-facilitators ran overnight prayer retreats. “A Date with God” is the fourth daytime retreat they have held since being forced online.

“A Date with God” opened with prayer and lectio divina (an ancient meditative way of reading scripture) through Psalm 40. Sprunt recited the passage to the group twice before allowing them to go off on their own to reflect on the message and apply it to their personal circumstances.

“It’s kind of like asking someone a question and then walking away before they can say anything.”

“I don’t ever tell anyone how they’re supposed to interpret the passages,” Sprunt states . “I give them a wide opportunity to take these tools and then go into the quiet where the Lord will show them and tell them what He wants them to know.”

Later in the day, participants spent time listening carefully as they meditated on the nature of their prayers. Sprunt instructed them to remain sitting in pure silence and listen as they waited for God’s reply. The exercise teaches them to ask, dream, think, and listen for God.

“The real lesson behind this [exercise] is teaching us to be still and wait upon God in His presence for what He wants to say to us.” Sprunt adds that too often we ask for God’s direction and then end our prayer. “It’s kind of like asking someone a question and then walking away before they can say anything.”

A Date with God is labelled a silent retreat. While participants spent some time between exercises in breakout sessions to share what they experienced, most of the day is spent alone and in silence.

“This is how you get to know God and fall in love with Him at the same time.”

At the end of the day, participants return to Psalm 40 to reflect on the day’s lessons through each verse.

“It’s all up to the Holy Spirit. People come back and they have such wonderful testimonies about what they heard from God during their alone time with Him,” explains co-facilitator Johann van der Merwe. “As facilitators, we provide the framework, but the real aspect of this is that they’re on their own hearing from God.”

Having previously attended the silent retreats, van der Merwe wanted to take up a leadership role and help others discover God’s voice among the Workplace Network’s initiatives. He managed the tech side of the event, and facilitated some of the exercises.

“It’s an enormous privilege to take part in this,” says van der Merwe. “When you meet someone, you want to spend time with them, speak with them and be spoken to. This is how you get to know God and fall in love with Him at the same time. Any opportunity to be in that focused, dedicated relationship is just fantastic.”

“All we need to do is come to Him,” Sprunt adds. “It’s like the elements of drinking water: Jesus is the source and we need to drink Him in.”