Imagine how you would feel in this situation. A friend comes to visit. They sit down at your table and talk non-stop about their problems, issues and concerns. You cannot get a word in edgewise. They then ask you for several favors and before you have the chance to respond, they say goodbye, get up and walk out.
Conversations between people in close relationships are not like this. They are based on give and take. Jesus taught us to have a close relationship with God, calling him our father, so why not communicate with Him as such? That means not just talking...but listening. I believe that God talks to us, not just collectively through scripture, but individually through our own thoughts and experiences. If we listen closely, we will hear what He is saying.
One thing that I traditionally do for Lent is to give God the gift of "listening". I increase the frequency of prayer and I end every prayer with a brief period of stillness and silence, giving God the chance to respond. For about five minutes, I try to clear my mind to just focus on listening for what He would like to say to me. Sometimes I say, "Speak Lord, for your servant is listening." Sometimes I have trouble concentrating. My mind wanders. Sometimes absolutely nothing happens. There is no message. Occasionally though, a profound thought will occur that is too good to be mine.
I was once praying about my difficulties keeping my house clean and organized. When I stopped to listen, these words came into my mind. "I don't care how messy it is inside, I only care about how much charity is coming out of it." Last year, on Good Friday, the second I stopped to listen, lyrics from an old Olivia-Newton John song flooded my mind, "Let me be there in your morning, let me be there in your night, let me take whatever's wrong, and make it right....All I ask you....is let me be there!" But the best response I ever got was one that I will hold off on sharing until my Good Friday blog called, "NO MORE DEATH".
"Teach us your pathways, guide us in your truth, let us know your ways, Oh Lord! Humbly, we seek you, longing to see you!
Let us know your ways, Oh Lord! Renew us, Oh Lord, in your mercy! May your spirit bring mercy and love!"
Lyrics from "Renew Us, Oh Lord" by Jason Lilies.
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