Talk Less † Pray More

Photo by Mike Quinn. Copyrighted but licensed for further reuse.

Maybe the title sounds harsh, but don’t you ever wonder if God just wants us to listen sometimes? 

When we are little, we are taught to tell God everything. This includes our problems, our sister’s problems, our best friend’s problems and our neighbor’s problems. We might also tell Him how thankful we are, but sometimes that list is pushed to the end.

Are you listening to what God is trying to tell you?

When you spend time with God, are you the one talking? Think of your prayer as if it were a phone conversation between you and God. If one person was the only one talking, what would be accomplished? Sure, it is a conversation, but what’s the quality of a one-sided conversation?

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We might ask for direction, but sometimes we fail to acknowledge it or make the effort to look for it. In most circumstances, God answers our prayers through the Holy Spirit. But the Holy Spirit’s voice is usually a whisper and sometimes it’s difficult to discern.

I would like you to take a quick moment to write down a prayer to God, just like you would normally pray a loud. Then, I want you to reread it.

How many times did you say “I”? When I tried this, I realized almost every sentence included “I.”

As follows: God, I would like to pray for Sue. I’m having problems with stress this week. I…I…I

When we pray, it is important to not only listen, but also to realize how we are praying.

Let’s go back to the phone conversation.

Photo by Pixabay. 

If you had a friend who called you up and constantly talked about themselves, as well as asked you favors, how would you respond? Would you want to pick up the phone when you saw their name pop up on your caller I.D.?

God wants us to have conversations with Him and He wants us to tell Him about what’s going on in our lives, so I'm not saying that He would ignore your "phone call," but He also wants us to listen.

One of my recent favorite bible verses is John 10:27-28.

What I love about this verse is that God believes in us. He believes we will hear His voice and know it’s Him. However, how many times have we questioned whether our heart was actually being moved by the Holy Spirit?

This verse also says that He knows us. He knows every part of us.

In other words, we hear His voice and He hears ours.

Taking a moment in the silence to let the Holy Spirit in can change your prayer life. When you first start to try listening in the silence, it may seem awkward or off. We have all experienced an awkward silence, whether it was in an elevator, in the waiting room, or in a car ride with that person you offer to give a lift to but don’t know anything about.

We have almost been trained to know that silence is bad. That silence makes us feel uncomfortable. However, remember that it is in those silences with God that we can gain direction.

I challenge you to really listen while you are praying this week. See where God leads you. It is in those moments that we can open ourselves to God’s truth and His voice.

If you have a story, please leave a comment below. We’d love to hear from you.