The great affliction of the church is deafness. The problem for many Christians is not that they are unable to speak, but rather that they are unable to hear. And they don't hear because they don't listen. Take the case of prayer. When praying, many people tend to express themselves at length without bothering to listen.
And if they don't listen, it's because they share the mistaken idea that praying is talking to God. Now, praying is communing, it's conversing with God; praying is interactive communication, a dialogue. It is obvious, moreover, that if we have things to say, it is very likely that God, in His omniscience, may have information, knowledge, or something else that He also wants to share with us, and it is entirely in our interest to listen to Him. Yet we rarely do so.
Imagine the scene. A person appears before you in a state of confusion, they start talking and immediately you want to interrupt them to say something because you see that they are completely wrong, that things are not at all as they think. You try to explain this but the person keeps interrupting you, insisting that you see and share their point of view. They want to talk, they are convinced that if they can tell you everything, you will be convinced of the justice of their cause and you will agree to their request.
But you have another perspective, you see what she doesn't see, you know for example that she has understood everything wrong, or that what she is worried about is already taken care of, or perhaps even that you have some information, some advice that will allow her to sort everything out, but she doesn't hear any of it because she doesn't let you get a word in edgewise. She talks and talks and in the end, she leaves; and you can only shake your head in astonishment. You already know that the outcome will be a disappointment for her given the way she is proceeding and you can only sigh 'if only she had listened to me'.
So imperfect, mortal beings like you and me insist on coming before a perfect, infinite, all-knowing God with a personal prayer program set in stone. We talk, we whine, we cry, we confess the word, cajole, argue, sing, and worship, without the slightest thought as to what God might be trying to communicate to us. If we talk about being led by the Spirit, wouldn't that mean that we should expect in every encounter with God that He Himself will have an agenda? And it is incumbent upon us to seek it out rather than imposing or at least seeking to impose our own upon Him.
Listening to God is a fascinating and admirable form of prayer. God is always willing, as His Word testifies, to show us the things He knows; as you listen, He breathes into you a divine perspective on your world, your challenges, your dreams, and your expectations. He will share His thoughts and ideas with you, redefine your priorities, and allow you to see things as they really are, not as they appear. Thus, listening to God changes our perspective and, consequently, our way of praying.
And when it comes to expressing yourself, since He still allows you to express yourself, you find yourself speaking under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. You begin to pray things that are light years away from your initial thoughts, but which are on the heart of the Father. You will pray what God sees and that now you see and no longer what you saw before. The result is spectacular, it is the effectiveness, the accuracy in prayer, it is a targeted prayer that allows you to approach situations as they should be approached and not as you thought you should approach them.
This is where prayer becomes captivating, where with emphasis and authority you pray the most unexpected things literally poured out of God's heart to you. You are propelled to travel the world in the Spirit to intercede for circumstances that in the natural world are far beyond your sphere of influence, let alone your imagination. And all this because you have cleansed your spiritual ears, renounced deafness, and made the choice to begin listening.
Finally, the remedy for the deaf: listen. We listen to people we respect. We listen to God because we respect Him, because we believe He has something valuable to say to us, and when I listen, I hear, and then I say what I hear. So like Jesus, I am able to say, 'I only speak what I hear my Father say.'
Shalom!
“Come to me…I will give you rest…take my instructions upon yourselves” Matthew 11:25. Lord, help us not only to bring you our prayers but above all to listen to your instructions.