Prayer is Two-Way Conversation

One day while walking, I was complaining about the time it took to get outside and pray. (With my wandering mind, walking helps me concentrate.) As I whined, I said, “But I have so much work to do.” Immediately, God who speaks directly into our minds, replied, “This is your work.”

Since then, my attitude toward prayer has changed. However, ‘work’ mostly describes intercessory prayer, the kind of praying that brings the needs of others to God, usually the need of His saving power in their lives, but other needs too. It is selfless and often difficult.

There are other types of prayer. In her book, Help, Thanks, Wow, Anne Lamont writes a tad irreverently about requests for help, thanksgiving, and praise, yet I can think of others.

Chambers says our conception of prayer is important. This makes me think. I’ve most often thought of prayer as one-way communication with cries for help and hopefully a bit of listening. Yet I know that prayer is also conversation with God, and while I pray in those other ways, just conversing with God does not happen as often as it should.

Chambers says that if I think of prayer as the breath in my lungs and the blood from my heart, then I am thinking rightly. Blood flows ceaselessly, and breathing continues ceaselessly without me being conscious of either. Prayer is not an exercise, or an assignment, or a duty, but the spontaneous conversation of a child with her Father, verbal or otherwise. It depends on being in tune with each other.

Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. (1 Thessalonians 5:16–18)

The fact that Jesus never mentions unanswered prayer is a big encouragement to me. Prayer is always answered, sometimes with a visible display, sometimes with a soft “wait, not yet” and sometimes with a loving “No, I have a better plan.”

As I wrote that, it comes to mind that hearing and understanding those last two answers is better and more likely to happen if and when I am praying in that unceasing conversation with Him. If I only bring my prayer list, even talk from my heart about those needs, but have not really listened for His comments about each one, then I’m missing the most important part of prayer. He wants to answer in the best way; but am I listening for those answers? Or only for the outcomes that I am hoping for?

My questions today are these: What keeps me from listening more? Is it because my expectations are too high? Too low? Am I just lazy? Am I afraid of His ‘wait’ or ‘no’ answers? These questions are prayer requests too, questions that require listening for Him.

More about the Firstborn . . .

Numbers 3:40–4:49 

John 12:20–50

Psalm 5:1–12

In the Old Testament, the firstborn was just that; the baby or the animal that was born first. When God delivered His people from bondage in Egypt, He sent the angel of death to claim the firstborn in every herd and household. Only those covered by the blood on their doorposts would be safe. Later, God transferred this claim to those who served as priests . . .

“And the Lord said to Moses, ‘List all the firstborn males of the people of Israel, from a month old and upward, taking the number of their names. And you shall take the Levites for me—I am the Lord—instead of all the firstborn among the people of Israel, and the cattle of the Levites instead of all the firstborn among the cattle of the people of Israel . . . . Take the Levites instead of all the firstborn among the people of Israel, and the cattle of the Levites instead of their cattle. The Levites shall be mine: I am the Lord. And as the redemption price for the 273 of the firstborn of the people of Israel, over and above the number of the male Levites, you shall take five shekels per head; you shall take them according to the shekel of the sanctuary (the shekel of twenty gerahs), and give the money to Aaron and his sons as the redemption price for those who are over.’ So Moses took the redemption money from those who were over and above those redeemed by the Levites.” (Numbers 3:40-41, 44–49)

I’m not a big-picture person, but I can see a bigger picture here. In the OT, the firstborn were those born first, most would die but those under the blood will live. The priests replace the firstborn who are redeemed by a price. In the NT, Jesus Christ is the firstborn, the actual first son of Mary, but spiritually the “firstborn” of many brothers and of all creation, raised from the dead to redeem us.  

This means the word “firstborn” takes on different meanings. One meaning is obvious . . . “And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.” (Luke 2:7)

The others are in a different context, and because of other Scriptures, I know they are not quite the same. These mean to be prior or superior to all else. Firstborn is a messianic title and could be translated as ‘existing before all creation’ or ‘existing superior to all creation’ or ‘existing before anything was created’

“For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.” (Romans 8:29)

“He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation . . . . And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent.” (Colossians 1:15, 18)

“And again, when he brings the firstborn into the world, he says, ‘Let all God’s angels worship him.’” (Hebrews 1:6)

“Jesus Christ the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of kings on earth. To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood.” (Revelation 1:5)

What Jesus did fulfills what is shadowed by the firstborn who died that the people might go free, and by the priests who were made substitutes that the firstborn might be redeemed. How cool is that!

The second reading offers these words from Jesus, “I have come into the world as light, so that whoever believes in me may not remain in darkness. If anyone hears my words and does not keep them, I do not judge him; for I did not come to judge the world but to save the world. The one who rejects me and does not receive my words has a judge; the word that I have spoken will judge him on the last day. For I have not spoken on my own authority, but the Father who sent me has himself given me a commandment—what to say and what to speak. And I know that his commandment is eternal life. What I say, therefore, I say as the Father has told me.” (John 12:46–50)

I’m not sure what all this means for my life, but I do know that Jesus came the first time to deliver sinners, not condemn us. Those who refuse Him will answer to the Word of God at His second coming. I also know that Jesus only said what His Father told Him to say and that I am supposed to be like Jesus. That means less yakking and much more listening . . . at least most of the time. The next reading tells me to talk to God, to ask Him to listen to me, and when I do, I will experience joy in His care and protection.

“Give ear to my words, O Lord; consider my groaning. Give attention to the sound of my cry, my King and my God, for to you do I pray. O Lord, in the morning you hear my voice; in the morning I prepare a sacrifice for you and watch . . . . But let all who take refuge in you rejoice; let them ever sing for joy, and spread your protection over them, that those who love your name may exult in you. For you bless the righteous, O Lord; you cover him with favor as with a shield.” (Psalm 5:1-3, 11–12)

Listening is part of following . . .

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. (Psalm 23:1)

My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. (John 10:27)

One important thing about following the Shepherd is being able to hear His voice so I know where He wants me to go and what He wants me to say and do. Learning to listen is as great a challenge as learning to obey. It makes no sense to not listen; after all, this is the Creator God of the universe who died for me and now speaks to me. But since I tend to be inattentive, He often uses experiences in difficult places to teach those lessons and also test my grasp of them.

The Old Testament says Joseph was tested when, “His feet were hurt with fetters; his neck was put in a collar of iron; until what he had said came to pass, the word of the Lord tested him.” (Psalm 105:18–19) Joseph listened and God blessed him.

The New Testament says of Jesus, “Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness for forty days, being tempted by the devil . . . . And when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from him until an opportune time. And Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee . . . .” (Luke 4:1–14) Satan tempted, but God was testing. This was His plan, and Jesus passed each test by listening to God’s Word and using it in response.

Times of isolation and hardship teach me to listen. If I do not learn to hear Him in silence and when my ears are straining, then I will never hear His guidance in the marketplace, or when talking with family and friends, or when life is busy, noisy, filled with stresses and responsibilities.

But learning to listen is a challenge. It is best perfected when praying alone. “But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.” (Matthew 6:6)

I sometimes chafe at my wilderness experiences, but mostly am thankful for them. So many of God’s people find themselves alone and in that solitude or difficulty our ears become more finely tuned so we can . . .

Give thanks to the Lord; call upon his name; make known his deeds among the peoples! Sing to him, sing praises to him; tell of all his wondrous works! Glory in his holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice! Seek the Lord and his strength; seek his presence continually! (Psalm 105:1–6)

As the psalmist says, listening helps me remember the wonderful things He has done, His miracles, and His judgments. Best of all, listening builds my intimacy with Him.

Mouth shut, ears open

Cartoons illustrate God speaking with a booming voice from heaven, but that is not how it works. In the Old Testament, the words “God said” or “God spoke” often appear, but as the story of Elijah reveals, it was not with noise but a low whisper.

In that story, Elijah had fled from his enemies and hid in a cave. The Lord asked him why he was there, and after his short explanation, God told him to “Go out and stand on the mount before the Lord.”

The Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind tore the mountains and broke in pieces the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. And after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. And after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire the sound of a low whisper. And when Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his cloak and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. And behold, there came a voice to him and said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” (1 Kings 19:9–13)

Christians today also hear the Spirit of God speak, but seldom if ever audibly. Because He lives within His people, and we recognize His voice, He does not need to shout or even whisper. Jesus affirmed this with, “I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me . . .  My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.’ (John 10:14, 27)

Our relationship with Him is intimate. As our Shepherd, we “hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. A stranger they will not follow, but they will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers.” (John 10:3–5)

Sometimes when I go to prayer, I have so much on my heart that I do all the talking. The Lord is patient and listens, but I know that He wants me to listen as well . . .

Let me hear what God the Lord will speak, for he will speak peace to his people, to his saints; but let them not turn back to folly. (Psalm 85:8)

He does speak peace, peace that erases the anxiety of those prayer burdens. If I rattle on and on, I’ll miss that important blessing of being able to communicate with Him and listen. However, He may also speak a warning like the one in the above verse. I need those warnings too, for I so easily turn back to old bad habits. He is with me and desires to help me avoid that folly, but I need to be a better listener.

See that you do not refuse him who is speaking. For if they did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, much less will we escape if we reject him who warns from heaven. (Hebrews 12:25)

This verse also points out that listening is only half of it. The other half is not doing my share of the talking, but taking action on whatever He warns me about or says to me as instruction, a command, or even as encouragement. He meets my need to hear Him through His Word, but also in that low whisper to my heart — as long as when I am praying, I keep both ears open.

Hearing God first

There is a saying that if someone’s Bible is falling apart, then that person is not. Our friend Doris is one of those people. Her Bible must be rebound or replaced, but she is one of the most ‘together’ people that we know.

Scripture proves itself in the lives of those who read and follow it. It changes the way we live but it also changes the way we pray. George Muller, a well-known man of prayer, said to “prime the pump of prayer by reading and meditating on the Scriptures.” That is, let God speak to you through His word before you speak to Him through your words.

Perhaps the main reason given for letting the Bible get dusty is, “I don’t understand it” but I’ve heard it said, “It isn’t the parts I don’t understand that bother me; it is the parts that I do understand.”

Of course that is a problem, “For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account.” (Hebrews 4:12–13)

Yet as I read it and allow God to sort out my motives and cleanse my heart, He also proves to me the promises made throughout its pages of its benefits, promises like this one made to Joshua . . .

No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life. Just as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you or forsake you. Be strong and courageous, for you shall cause this people to inherit the land that I swore to their fathers to give them. Only be strong and very courageous, being careful to do according to all the law that Moses my servant commanded you. Do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may have good success wherever you go. This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. (Joshua 1:5–8)

Or this promise of blessing spoken of by the psalmist . . .

Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. (Psalm 1:1–2)

Or this promise of growth and spiritual fruitfulness given by Paul to a young pastor named Timothy . . .

Practice these things, immerse yourself in them, so that all may see your progress. Keep a close watch on yourself and on the teaching. Persist in this, for by so doing you will save both yourself and your hearers. (1 Timothy 4:15–16)

All my life I’ve struggled with fixing my mind on anything. I’ve blamed the scattered mind of ADD, yet realize that thinking about God and His Word is a continual decision. His people have always had to be told to do it, and have always had to make a commitment to do it. As we do, it becomes a joyful part of living for Jesus . . .

I will meditate on your precepts and fix my eyes on your ways. I will delight in your statutes; I will not forget your word. (Psalm 119:15–16)

Thinking God’s thoughts involves worship, but is also is an important part of the ongoing conversation I can have with the Lord, the ongoing conversation of prayer. Again, I will choose with the psalmist to “ponder all your work, and meditate on your mighty deeds. Your way, O God, is holy. What god is great like our God? You are the God who works wonders; you have made known your might among the peoples.” (Psalm 77:12–14)