Blundering?

Answer me when I call to you, O God who declares me innocent. Free me from my troubles. Have mercy on me and hear my prayer. (Psalm 4:1)

One of the greatest fears men have could just be thinking God doesn't hear them when they call out for God's help. The issue isn't that God doesn't hear, it could be that we don't listen! God has been listening to us all along - we might not have returned the favor! Some think prayer is simply us talking to God about what is the matter in our lives and expecting him to 'fix' it somehow. It is a shocker when God shows us there are things we could fix that would make things a whole lot better. We don't realize that prayer is a two-way conversation. We might speak to God, but he is earnestly trying to speak to us in the midst of the 'unloading' we are doing on him.

It isn't that God doesn't want us to bring our cares and concerns to him. It is that when we do, it is for more than an immediate 'fix' to the problem, moving on without taking time to get to know his plans. He wants us to linger a bit - to listen intently. Answers may or may not come, but there is something that happens when we just sit and listen. It could just be that God begins to 'free us' from our troubles as we lay them at his feet and begin to sit quietly in his presence, just listening expectantly. Peace might not come in the form of words - it could come in the form of thoughts finally put in order and the knowledge of what to do next.

God always hears our prayers - even the ones that are hurried because life has become so harried. The most important thing to ask as we leave a time of prayer is if we took time to listen. There have been times in prayer when I found myself quiet, alone with God, not even uttering a word. The quieter I got, the more his plans became clear. There was a settling of my thoughts, a release deep within my heart. It isn't that God didn't want me to speak - it could have been that I didn't know what to say! Sometimes the greatest thing we can do is acknowledge we are in over our heads and just need his wisdom before we make any more blunders! Just sayin!