Many are missing God’s blessings because they have not mastered the art of listening. While they can articulate their needs to God very well through prayers, they are not blessed. One of the major reasons for this is that they do not listen to God enough. They are only good at talking but do not spend time listening. The apostle James said, “Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak” (James 1:19) If we listen, Jesus promised: “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened” (Matt. 7:7-8).
Often, God’s answer to prayers come in the form of instructions. Our failure to hear these instructions mean missing his blessings. In fact, the Lord said, “If anyone turns a deaf ear to my instruction, even their prayers are detestable” (Prov. 28:9). But how do we hear from God? We hear through his words. This was emphasized by the apostle Paul when he said, “Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ” (Rom. 10:17). Still there are those who do not hear from God clearly because they do not have the right attitude. Below are the right attitudes when praying:
Quiet your soul. When we are burdened, we cannot pray properly. Besides, it obscures our hearing so that we do not hear from God. Our hearts and minds are too preoccupied with many things that we miss what the Lord is telling us. As a result, we tend to act and settle our problems on our own because we neglect to listen to every step that the Lord is directing us to do. And because of this, fear grip our hearts and we act like the wicked – irrational. King Solomon said, “The wicked man flees though no one pursues, but the righteous are as bold as a lion” (Prov. 28:1). In the midst of our problems, let us remember what the Lord had said: “Be still, and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10).
Understand the message. After we have prayed, we need to wait for the Lord’s reply and understand it fully. But how often do we see people pray like a fool who “finds no pleasure in understanding but delights in airing his own opinions” (Prov. 18:2). There are those who do not understand the message because they do not have right relationship with the Lord. Jesus said, “Why is my language not clear to you? Because you are unable to hear what I say. You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desire” (John 8:43-44). Therefore, we need to receive Jesus as Lord and Savior and be born again.
Inculcate the message in your heart. There are answers that the Lord gives that we quickly forget. We need to impress them in our hearts and not just in our mind. Remember that the mind is the battle ground. If the mind is unable to process the Lord’s answer, it rejects it, though it might have welcome it initially. The answer comes to one like the seed sown on rocky places in the Parable of the Sower. Jesus said, “The one who received the seed that fell on rocky places is the man who hears the word and at once receives it with joy. But since he has no root, he lasts only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, he quickly falls away” (Matt 13:20-21). When faced with big problems, we can easily forget the promises of God. Even Moses forgot the power of his rod when he faced a big challenge. The Lord rebuked him saying, “Raise your staff and stretch out your hand over the sea to divide the water so that the Israelites can go through the sea on dry ground” (Exodus 14:16)
Commit to obey. Though it might not be easy and convenient to obey what the Lord has commanded you to do, do it anyway. It is the Lord’s answer to your prayers. You may even find yourselves going against the popular way of doing things (or not politically correct) but do what Peter and the other apostles did. When they were forbidden to preach the gospel of the Lord Jesus, they said, “We must obey God rather than men! (Acts 5:29). Obedience to his command is key to blessedness. This was emphasized by the apostle John when he said, “Dear friends, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God and receive from him anything we ask, because we obey his commands and do what pleases him” (1 John 3:21-22). Kickstart your obedience. Remember what the Lord Jesus said, “Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say?” (Luke 6:46) If we are indeed believers, let us obey his commands quickly. Yes, he answers prayers, but we must listen and obey. There is much blessings in obedience. We should be like the Psalmist who said, “I will hasten and not delay to obey your commands.” (Psalm 119:60). Hallelujah!