Prayer is something that we hear about all the time during sermons and various others activities in which it is promoted. This is rightfully so; however, generally, all we hear is that we should talk to God as much as possible. But we rarely hear that we need to let God talk to us in our times of prayer. This means that if God is talking to us, we are being silent and listening for Him. So really, prayer should have two parts: us casting our cares upon Him and us listening to hear His voice.
When we meet a new person or friend, we want to get to know them. But if we want to know more about them and about their character, we don't always talk and not let them tells us anything about themselves. The same goes with talking to God. Yes, He wants us to cast our burdens and cares upon Him. 1 Peter 5:7 says, "Cast all your anxiety upon Him because He cares for you." We should do this continually too. 1 Thess. 5:17 says, "pray without ceasing." But during our prayer time, we should spend as much time listening to God as we do telling Him things so that we can hear His voice and what He wants to tell us. If we are doing all the talking, we will not be letting Him talk to us.
I will end with this story that is true. The worlds largest church is in South Korea and now has over 1 million members. But when it was still a small 300,000 member church, the pastor had another pastor come to Him from another local church that had 3000 members. The pastor of the 3000 member church asked the pastor of the largest church in the world why his church had so many more people. This pastor responded by saying that it came down to not only the amount of time they spent talking to God each day, but the amount of time they allowed God to talk to them. The 3000 member pastor prayed to God for 30 minutes daily but did not allow much time for God to talk to him. The pastor of the worlds largest church prayed 1 to 3 hours a day but split the time between Him talking to God and allowing God to talk to Him. This was the difference between the two. And if you want to see God really change your life, continue speaking to Him but also allow Him to speak to you. God bless you!
There is a new documentary being produced you might find interesting called "Mysteries of the Jesus Prayer." The film is about the secret practices of monks and nun across the world. http://mysteriesofthejesusprayer.com/
ReplyDeleteI would like to echo my agreement with listening with God as much as talking. I am not the church going type but find myself in constant communication with Him. The hard part is to learn how to listen. There are many ways He communicates and I believe if you ask him directly how you can hear him, the answer will come and you will know. I have felt him strong in my life for the last few years when I finally stopped trying to do it all and let him support and guide me. My life has changed 180 degrees and honestly feel that my soul is at a peace I have never felt in my life and so very difficult to explain. I would also ask (and this may offend some) that you bless Him. Give thanks for all that you have, what you learned and how you have grown and bless him for being in your life. I have told Him that I thanked him for changing my life and as his humble servant, if I had the authority, I would bless Him for the goodness and love he has shown me. May sound weird but I feel that unconditional love is a two way street. Well, thats my take and God Bless You All and I hope you can take the time and listen. It really does help
ReplyDeleteDarrell