Through the Storm 

Dialogue

Read Psalm 27:8; Jeremiah 33:3.

In my teaching on discipleship, I’m constantly meeting and talking with people. Occasionally, someone – relieved to have found a friend who is actually willing to spend their precious time listening to them – will proceed to offload everything that is happening in their life in rapid succession! So, much so, that occasionally I can be left reeling from the onslaught, and it takes a while for me to discern what the core matter might be.

Translating this into our relationship with God, and especially in terms of our prayer lives, sometimes we can be guilty of ‘assaulting’ God’s ears with long lists of our needs, and reminding Him of situations He is already very much aware of, when what is actually needed to maintain the intimacy of our fellowship is conversation.

I was a Christian for years before I realised my relationship with God was not quite as it ought to be, but was rather one-sided, i.e. I speak and He listens. Whereas, actually, it should be a two-way relationship of mutual communication:

1. He talks – We listen.
2. We talk – He listens.

As often as we are prepared to enter into communication with God then He will speak to us. But even though all of us can hear from God, not all of us will hear from Him if we are still allowing ourselves to ‘abide’ in limiting patterns of sin that result in varying degrees of spiritual deafness.

The important thing about conversation is that it should be a two-sided dialogue - an exchange of words, thoughts and concepts ...

Conversation happens when two parties engage in talking and listening. There may be long times of companionable silence – that happens in the intimacy of a relationship - but normally, we will also talk. If we do not, then perhaps there is an issue to be addressed. The important thing about conversation is that it should be a two-sided dialogue - an exchange of words, thoughts and concepts - not just a one-sided monologue.

When it comes to prayer, that is not wrong, of course, but sometimes we just need to stop chattering, be quiet and pay Him the honour of listening to what He might have to say. Isaiah writes that God’s Spirit gives us heavenly wisdom, understanding, counsel and insight; it also empowers and strengthens. So why would we not take time to listen to Him?

Additional reading: Psalm 17:6; Deuteronomy 31:12.

PRAYER TIME:

• Do you sometimes ‘use’ God as an impersonal ‘listening box’?
• Do you spend at least as much time listening to God as you do talking to Him?

Spend some time quietly waiting on God now. Ask Him to speak to you, then turn that thought or word back to Him in conversational prayer.