Nov 17 - Psalm 17:6a

I am praying to you because

I know you will answer, O God

Psalm 17:6a

Do you know that God will answer when you pray?

One of the most frequent complaints in the journey of faith is the (supposed) silence of God. As humans, we're accustomed to dealing with our five senses:

·       We want to see God.

·       We want to audibly hear him.

·       We want to feel his arms around us.

·       We want to do much more than figuratively "taste and see that the Lord is good" (Ps 34:8).

·       And we want the literal aroma of Christ to surround us instead of the constant stench of sin and corruption.

As Christians, many of us are dutiful. "I KNOW he answers," we say with more bravado than belief. "Sometimes God says, 'No,'" we say as a way to excuse the continued silence.

After walking this Christian journey as a pastor for many years and listening in on the prayer lives of hundreds of people, I can say one thing for certain: God does speak.

The second thing I can say for certain is that those who pray frequently, intentionally, regularly hear God the most clearly. And actually it's more than that. The ones who hear God are the ones who sit and listen for hours. Day after day. They are comfortable with silence -- like David the Psalmist was a shepherd boy alone in the fields with no one to talk to but sheep and God.

Most of us are too busy for much of God on a daily basis, and then wonder why he's silent in a time of trial. Those who hear from God learn to listen ... and they do it everyday ... so that when a time of crisis comes, God's presence is already personal and familiar. And these are the ones who can confidently say, "I am praying to you because I know you will answer, O God."

In Christ's Love,

a guy who needs to

slow down more and

listen more fully