Spiritually Deaf and Speechless?

Human communication is fascinating. From 400 page books to 1 line text messages we are always communicating. Most of the time it’s just about the ordinary stuff of life “Hey, honey, would you move your car in the drive?” “What should I take out of the freezer for dinner?” “Wow, it’s only 6 degrees outside this AM.” Some messages stir us deeply. “I love you!” when said in earnest, means so much. And, you know that not all communication requires words, right? A person who knows how to communicate well, who has learned how to say what he wants and to hear what others want from him, is well down the road to success in life.

Have you learned to communicate with the Lord or are you spiritually deaf and speechless? Prayer is just like our interaction with other people. Nearly everyone can communicate, but many are not very adept at clearly expressing themselves. All Christians can pray, but many do not pray well. This is tragic. Why? Because, prayer is the greatest gift that God gives us, the source of great comfort and power for us. The Word couples three commands, sandwiching the key in the middle: "Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus." (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, NIV) Joy and thankfulness grow out of intimate communication with the Holy Spirit!

We learn to pray in just one way – praying. No amount of instruction can replace practice. God is listening, even to our most stammering attempts at prayer. Know that He cares. He tells us "Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done." (Philippians 4:6, NLT) That everything is just that –every little and big thing. We can talk to the Lord about our fears, our temptations, our deepest longings, our confusion, our sex life, our money, the idiot who abuses us at work, kids, health, death … yes, everything!

Prayer must never be reserved for church or even for personal times of meditation. Prayer can be constant, an ongoing ‘chat’ with the Lord. It’s not my intent to demean prayer to a chat, but to illustrate that praying begins as two-way communication even about the stuff we know is not earth-shaking. Intense, earnest, thoughtful, and focused prayer is necessary. Even the Son of God withdrew from others to spend time alone with God. Learning to be God-aware by speaking with Him all through the day with thanksgiving and petition, chatting with Him, lays a foundation for those deeply focused times in prayer.

The power of prayer has little to do with the length of the prayer or the eloquence of the words. One of Jesus’ great miracles, the raising of Lazarus from the dead, was prefaced by this prayer. "Jesus looked up and said, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me. I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that you sent me.” When he had said this, Jesus called in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” (John 11:41-43, NIV) He gave thanks to turn his attention to God’s power, then He asked, clearly and without equivocation.

Learn to communicate with the Lord. Quiet your mind and heart and listen for the whisper of the Spirit. Start each day with a conscious acknowledgement of His care. “Tell God what you need.” 

Here’s the model for prayer that Jesus gave us. As you read it today, may His words inspire your words and lead you to joy and thanksgiving.

"Pray like this:
Our Father in heaven, may your name be kept holy.
May your Kingdom come soon.
May your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.
Give us today the food we need, and forgive us our sins,
as we have forgiven those who sin against us.
And don’t let us yield to temptation,
but rescue us from the evil one." (Matthew 6:9-13, NLT)

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Make my life a prayer to you
I wanna do what you want me to
No empty words and no white lies
No token prayers no compromise

I wanna shine the light you gave
Thru your son you sent to save us
From ourselves and our despair
It comforts me to know you're really there

Well I wanna thank you now
For being patient with me
Oh it's so hard to see
When my eyes are on me
I guess I'll have to trust
And just believe what you say
Oh you're coming again

I wanna die and let you give
Your life to me so I might live
And share the hope you gave me
The love that set me free

I wanna tell the world out there
You're not some fable or fairy tale
That I've made up inside my head
You're God the son and you've risen from the dead

I wanna die and let you give
Your life to me so I might live
And share the hope you gave me
The love that set me free

- Make My Life A Prayer, Keith Green