"Blessed are those who listen to me, watching daily at my doors, waiting at my doorway."
- Proverbs 8:34
“Will you eat this if I put it in your lunch?”
“I built a new addition for my terrarium!”
“Mommy, can I ask you a question?”
“Look, I found my hippo!”
It was a normal evening in our kitchen, but based on that string of non-sequitors, I might as well have been standing in Grand Central Station. One person was trying to do a job, others were trying to show off their work, still another was trying to ask something. And everybody was talking at once.
All four members of my family had something to say, and none of them appeared to have a listener. Instead, it was just words thrown out into the wind—questions unanswered, observations unnoticed, announcements unheeded. After all, you don’t just need something to say to have a conversation. You need somebody to listen.
In the Bible, much of what we read about prayer deals with what we say to God. Scripture has much to teach about employing prayer for adoration and intercession and thanksgiving. We know that in faith we can come to God with whatever is on our minds and cast our anxieties upon him, knowing that he cares for us.
But just as we ought to talk to God, so too should we listen to him. Through his Word and through the leading of the Holy Spirit, God teaches us, guides us, and commands us. We have not been left on this earth unaccompanied, but rather have a Lord who is with us always.
Too often prayer is a one-sided affair, where we talk and talk and talk, never even thinking to listen. But if you want to get the most of out of your prayers, don’t stop once you’ve said what you have to say. God has plenty to tell you—are you listening?
