Wednesday, March 11, 2009

Talking and Listening
By Jen Wollner

“…love the Lord your God, listen to his voice…”
Deuteronomy 30:20a

My three-year-old has a problem with talking. No, it’s not that he needs speech therapy. Quite the opposite! He, like many other three-year-olds, talks too much at times…usually the wrong times! It’s particularly a problem when he wants or needs something. He makes a request, but then just keeps asking and doesn’t stop to wait for a response. One specific time, he was asking for a piece of candy. I told him that he could have it, but in a minute. He asked again. I repeated my “yes” answer. He asked again. I answered. He, again…and again…. I started to think he needed his ears checked! But, it wasn’t his hearing that needed fixing, it was his listening! He was so set on getting that candy in his way and timing that not only did he not stop asking so he could hear my answer, I don’t even think he cared about my answer. If I wasn’t handing him the candy, no other response was acceptable.

This made me wonder…do I do this to God? Do I talk so much at Him that I can’t hear His answers? Or, is it that I do hear Him, but if I don’t like the answer, I keep asking, thinking that if I persist I will get my way? Scripture tells us to pray continuously, but I don’t think this is what it means! God encourages us to talk with Him about every area of our lives. He delights in spending time with us. But, He desires to have a two-way conversation and if we spend all of our prayer time going through our laundry list of wants and needs, we are missing out on the most important part of prayer—the relationship. He wants to give us the things we really need, like peace, strength, comfort, wisdom and rest, but we can’t hear Him if we aren’t still and quiet.

God promises to answer us when we call to Him. He doesn’t say it will always be the exact answer we were looking for, but He will answer. Let’s not make the same mistake that my son makes by talking too much and listening too little. Let’s lay before our God our requests, concerns, joys and pains and then let’s rest and surrender…listening for and accepting His will for our lives.

GOING DEEPER:
1. What specific requests do you want to share with God today? Practice asking Him and then listening for His answer.
2. Is there an answer that God has given to you that you have a hard time accepting? Ask Him to help you have peace and a surrendered heart.

FURTHER READING:
Jeremiah 33:3; 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18; Philippians 4:6-7

Jen and her husband are busily parenting three children under the age of 6. Jen heads Oakwood’s Fresh Start ministry.
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