Talk to God … Then Listen

Spirituality Column #38
July 31, 2007
Current! In Carmel (IN) newspaper

Talk to God … Then Listen
By Bob Walters

Do we pray properly?

We pray for physical comfort which Jesus never promised, worldly prosperity which Jesus never had, and removal of challenges that Jesus assured us would never – in this life – be absent.

“Dear Lord … give me something” is an all too common prayer outline. I do it way too often.

We all tend to the see the world through the lens of our physical needs, yet the Father, Son and Holy Spirit are far more interested in our spiritual well-being.

With the Spirit (Romans 8:26) and Jesus (Hebrews 7:25) interceding for each of us ceaselessly with the Father, why do we need to pray anyway? The Holy Trinity already knows what we need.

We pray because it is part of our personal communion with God; communion that is unique to Christianity among all recognized theology. Other religions have laws and rites. Christ insists on faith and craves communion; prayer expresses both.

Prayer as an earthly shopping list is not in divine sync with God’s promise of eternal joy. If we are going to ask for something in prayer, why not ask for grace, understanding and wisdom to help us understand what He wants?

A great way to start a prayer is with praise for God, then thanks to God, and if you can work it in, confession before God.

And then … OK … go ahead and ask God. You can ask Him for anything, talk to Him about anything, laugh with Him, cry to Him, shout at Him … all the while knowing that there is no way you can surprise Him. Pray when you are happy, sad or scared.

But when you are finished – however you pray – don’t forget the most important part: listening for God’s voice with heart, mind and soul.

The key to prayer isn’t what you say … it’s what God says.

Walters (rlwcom@aol.com) believes the quality of our prayer life can’t be measured by our words, but by how God’s words return to our heart.