Musings from Graceland

.
THE ART OF LISTENING PRAYER
.
I want to tell you about a book I'm reading...actually, I should say working through as it's not just something that you pick up and read from cover to cover but instead, you read each chapter and spend time meditating and praying and journaling about the points made and the questions asked.
.

Here's an excerpt from the beginning of Seth Barnes book:
.
To me, India during the summer of 2001 might as well have been Mars. I felt so separated from familiar ground. As I walked in the gray, predawn light, the beaches of Bombay began filling up with walkers and joggers and an occasional pack of dogs. Very little of what I saw that morning fit with my experience.
.
It appeared as though most people were there for exercise, a clearing of the head, and perhaps some conversation with companions.
.
I observed Hindu temples spaced along the beach. The devout would pause along their route, face the temple, and pray to the gods inside. However, as far as I could tell, none of them either expected or received any answers.
.
The prayer life of many Christians in America is not unlike that of the devout Hindu on the beaches of Bombay. Yes, we pray to God, not some man-made idol; however, the way in which we pray is surprisingly similar.
.
Often, our prayers are not like any other normal conversation. For many of us, they are the rote pleadings of children who know well their own needs, but understand little about their Father. Our prayers are the symptoms of shallow, impersonal relationships with Jesus. We expect God to answer through circumstances and events, perhaps, but never in an actual dialogue.
Most of my life I struggled with the vague notion that God wanted to talk to me and I just wasn't listening hard enough. The God I read about in the Bible regularly interacts not only with mankind, but with specific men and women. The common denominator I saw in Scripture was that these people who conversed with God were intentional and earnest in their pursuit of a relationship with him. So, I decided to pursue him like that. At the same time I became more aware that he was pursuing me.
.
While I had talked to God and heard his voice in a variety of ways previously, in 1991 I heard him speak to me in a profoundly personal and unmistakable way. At a time when I most needed to hear it, my Creator told me that he loved me! I don't know that I ever intellectually doubted that, but to hear it from God directly was an overwhelming experience. It changed my life forever - I can't go back! The two-way communication that is foundational to all relationships is no less important for our relationship with the God who created us to be relational beings. We need to see for ourselves that he wants to talk with us. He wants to put the "personal" back in the personal relationship with Jesus that we tell others we have.
.
As I said, this book is work. It requires a commitment of time plus spiritual and mental effort. I hate to admit that I've not made as much progress as I would have liked to due to laziness and just being pooped much of the time when I do get some downtime. But if you're tired of feeling like your prayers are just bouncing off the ceiling, if you're looking for answers but wondering if you're ever going to get any, The Art of Listening Prayer may just be what you need.
.
By the way, author Seth Barnes is with Adventures in Missions and you can read more of his thoughts on prayer, parenting, the church, caring for the poor, culture, missions, and so much more over at his blog, http://www.sethbarnes.com/ .