Praying and Listening

Are you praying to the Lord, or
Merely praying at Him?
Lifting up demands for grace
Whenever life is grim,
 
Or a wish list of wants and dreams,
Not grounded in His word?
Too often we will prattle on,
Demanding to be heard.
 
I’ve found that He’s less likely to
Engage with such demands
From those who place small value on
His laws and His commands.
 
Instead, when I ask for His aid
As it fits what He’s planned,
Then He will often answer me
In ways I understand.
 
The simple act of listening,
Letting the noise go still,
Helps me to pray to Heaven’s King
And live within His will.
 
Even those days when I ramble,
Too lost to find a thought,
He lets me know He understands
The pain this world has brought.
 
A prayer is a conversation,
His answers are best heard
When I stop talking and listen
To Him and to His Word.
 
Matthew 6:7-8
And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. 

This is one of the precious photos from AC and her trip to Africa a few years back.