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protocols of prayer are as simple as a two-way conversation.
Just like chatting on the phone or text messaging on-line.
You can't immediately see the people you are conversing with,
but your message gets through to them through the phone lines
or airwaves, and their responses are carried back to you the
same way.
What would the other person
you were communicating with think if you spewed off what you
wanted to say on the phone and then hung up without waiting
for a reply? Or, if you asked him a question in the chat room
and then signed out before he could answer? Or, if you asked
his opinion on something and then turned off your cell phone
without giving him a chance to respond? If you made this a
habit, the person would probably stop trying to communicate
with you.
Now, imagine how God must feel
every time you talk to Him and then end the conversation without
giving Him a chance to participate. According to Webster's
Comprehensive Dictionary, the word conversation is defined
as: "the speaking together of two or more persons; informal
exchange of ideas, information, etc."
Speaking together. Exchange
of ideas. Obviously, it's a give-and-take scene. I ask a question;
you answer. You ask a question; I answer. I contradict your
answer; you contend for it. We finally come to some conclusion.
That's one of the ways it works.
So why does it seem strange
to carry on a normal conversation with God? He's listening—all
the time. And He's just waiting for you to let Him in on the
exchange of ideas. You might have a question, and He just
might have the perfect answer. But you've got to stay on-line
and wait for that answer.
Does God speak? Audibly?
The answer to this question might be self-discovered. And
while you're taking the time to experience it for yourself,
you'll find that, as with conversations on the phone, text
messaging, or the Internet, chatting with God can become very
addicting.
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When Prayer Is Listening
Thoughts
from David Brandt Berg
Prayer
is not just getting down on your knees and speaking your piece
to God, but giving God a chance to speak His, too—and
waiting until He answers!
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You
need to learn to talk to the Lord, and how to listen most of
all. It's not up to the king to try to go chasing his subjects
around, screaming and hollering at them to try to get them to
do what he wants. Jesus is the King of kings, so you should
come to Him with quietness and respect, sincerely present your
petition, and wait silently to get the answer.
I
love to be alone with the Lord because I can hear God so clearly
when I'm alone and quiet. The Lord speaks in a still, small,
but very definite, very firm, very loving voice—but if
you're too noisy, you're not going to hear it!
You've
got to know you can't solve your own problems; you've got
to be desperate for God's answers, and stop everything else
and listen. Take time to hear from God, and He'll
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take
time to straighten out the problem. |
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