Doug is a guy in my church. I like to make fun of Doug for being a talker. Truth be told, he is just one of many talkers that our church has. I just single him out because he’s an easy target, and he usually makes fun of me right back. I like it when somebody gives me a hard time. It lets me know they care.
We are told that talking is a healthy thing. It’s no secret that women, who express far more emotion than men, talk much more than men. Women like to pick on men because we don’t know how to communicate. We like to bottle things up, and then when the right (or wrong) moment strikes, we explode. In this sense, talking is a healthy thing.
But when it comes to communicating with God, talking is quite unhealthy. People generally get the impression that prayer is simply talking to God. Therefore, our prayers look a little bit like this:
Lord Jesus, thank you for this lovely day. Thanks that I can talk to You. Please bless me as I try to serve you today, and please help Mary Sue who is sick and Bobby Joe who is having surgery. In Jesus name I pray. Amen.
But that is not genuine communication with God. That’s telling God what you think. If my wife talked to me that way, then ended the conversation and went about her own business, I’d take the tweezers and pull my hair out!
This is one reason why I don’t like to verbalize prayers. Some people don’t get it, my wife being one of them. She likes to hear what I’m saying so she knows what I’m praying for. The problem is that if I’m talking, I cannot hear what God is saying. That’s why I never pray out loud in private. God needs to talk to me, too. Actually, He needs to talk to me more than I need to talk to Him.
This is not a slam against public prayer. It’s a great idea. I’m not saying that praying out loud is bad. It’s not. But God knows what’s on my heart before I ask Him. On the other hand, how many of you have felt that you had no idea where God was in your life? We all feel that way from time to time. God knows my thoughts but I don’t know His. If this is true, then who should be the one talking? Not me!
This week, take some time out and listen. Get quiet before the Lord. You will be amazed at what you’ll hear from the heart of God if only you are willing to listen!
3 comments:
I'm a little confused. Are you saying that talking like that to God is bad? or that talking like that and not waiting for a response is bad?
What I'm saying is that communication with God (prayer) is a two-way street. Telling your needs to God is important, but cutting off the conversation before God has a chance to talk is not a good thing. How can I accept counsel from God if I'm unwilling to listen to Him? What I've noticed is that prayer tends to mirror the narcissistic. A relationship cannot exist where one is not pursuing the desires of another. We expect God to hear and understand our needs, so much so that we fail to take the time to hear what he expects from us!
Thanks for asking for clarity.
OK, cool. Thanks. That is what I thought. By the way, I have the Wii for tomorrow ^-^.
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