When you pray, do you listen?
Psalms 46:10) Be still,and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exaltedin the earth.
Brother William Oldham, in his bookReformation Theology, had these thoughts about prayer:
Prayer is our most effective tool asa Christian, for it strengthens our relationship with the Lord. Unfortunately, too many Christians shirk this area, or at best give it a quick run through before going out into the world.
It is through Bible Study, Prayer and spending quality time alone with God that we are able to open our heart to God, and God, in return, can open His heart to us. Prayer is similar to one using the telephone, in that one might say it’s our own private line to God. If we’ve ever called someone on the phone and find that they won’t say anything back to us, we tend to get annoyed with them. Likewise if we get a call from someone who talks constantly and never lets us respond to what they are saying, then we also do a slow burn on our end. The same is true of God, for when we pray and then not let God get a word in edgewise before we say “Amen”, then we’ve just told God that we’re really too busy to wait long enough to find out if He wants to talk with us too or not. In fact all we’re really doing with that quickie kind of prayer is, what some use to call in the military, just showing up for morning roll call, or, we’re just letting God know we’re still here, and then get on with our daily duties……..
I had to think about this, but I realized that I am sometimes guilty of this…..got things to do, places to go, oh yeah, better read my Scripture for the day and have a wee short prayer……..and it’s off I go…….
Sadly, I have found myself doing this more than once or twice………and while I struggle to “be still………..and know that He is God……..” I get caught up in myself instead of being filled up with Him.
But I’m praying, and I’m working on it, and with His strength and guidance, I’ll get there……….there being that state of “quality time” that I truly desire to have with Him.
Psalms 46:10) Be still,and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exaltedin the earth.
Brother William Oldham, in his bookReformation Theology, had these thoughts about prayer:
Prayer is our most effective tool asa Christian, for it strengthens our relationship with the Lord. Unfortunately, too many Christians shirk this area, or at best give it a quick run through before going out into the world.
It is through Bible Study, Prayer and spending quality time alone with God that we are able to open our heart to God, and God, in return, can open His heart to us. Prayer is similar to one using the telephone, in that one might say it’s our own private line to God. If we’ve ever called someone on the phone and find that they won’t say anything back to us, we tend to get annoyed with them. Likewise if we get a call from someone who talks constantly and never lets us respond to what they are saying, then we also do a slow burn on our end. The same is true of God, for when we pray and then not let God get a word in edgewise before we say “Amen”, then we’ve just told God that we’re really too busy to wait long enough to find out if He wants to talk with us too or not. In fact all we’re really doing with that quickie kind of prayer is, what some use to call in the military, just showing up for morning roll call, or, we’re just letting God know we’re still here, and then get on with our daily duties……..
I had to think about this, but I realized that I am sometimes guilty of this…..got things to do, places to go, oh yeah, better read my Scripture for the day and have a wee short prayer……..and it’s off I go…….
Sadly, I have found myself doing this more than once or twice………and while I struggle to “be still………..and know that He is God……..” I get caught up in myself instead of being filled up with Him.
But I’m praying, and I’m working on it, and with His strength and guidance, I’ll get there……….there being that state of “quality time” that I truly desire to have with Him.