The Other Side of the Conversation

Can you hear God speaking to you?

Yesterday I wrote about our prayer life, and how we can develop a relationship with God through our ‘prayer conversation’ as we share our thoughts with Him throughout the day.  We do not need to pray elaborate prayers. I think God likes it when we speak to Him as we would to a father, our Heavenly Father.

Realizing a conversation requires more than one person to share their thoughts, how then does God respond to this sharing of our hopes and needs through prayer? I think the expectation is if we pour our hearts out to God, we hope for some kind of response.

In a conversation, if we are talking all the time, no one else can get a word into the thought train and we cannot benefit from their ideas. Likewise, in our prayer life, we cannot continually put our requests at God’s feet and then rush about our busy day and still expect to hear His response.

In order for this conversation to become two-sided, I think we must be still. Our obligations keep us running endlessly and this busyness prevents us from seeking stillness.

To achieve stillness and open our hearts to hear the voice of God, we need to find a few moments in our day with no distractions. A walk in nature is a wonderful opportunity to separate us from all of the responsibilities that vie for our time.

It is important to understand the silence of prayer. It is only when we are still that we can hear God speaking to us.

We need to find time to do nothing, even if for only a few moments a day. Let your mind be still. Breathe. Don’t let your mind go to your to-do list or what is next on your agenda. Make a concerted effort to focus your thoughts on God, and ask Him what His purpose is for your time.

Don’t expect to hear a booming voice give you the answer you are waiting for. You need to keep your spirit open to His subtle nudges. It may not happen when you expect it, but sometime you will have that “aha” moment, and hopefully you will know it is God speaking to you.

God’s answers to our prayers vary as much as our prayers do. Sometimes we only need a simple response, and other times we must wait a long time to hear what His plans are. Even if you do not get an answer right away, be assured that God does hear your prayers.

At times, the answer we hear is not what we were hoping for, and we have to trust that our Heavenly Father knows what is best for us.  But keep the conversation going. And keep your heart open to hear His voice. His answers are God-breathed, and reach us like a whisper on the wind.