Experiencing God

Experiencing God—Chap Thirteen—God Speaks Through Prayer

Question 1. What has God been saying to you in your prayer times?

I really cannot complain about my drive to work. It is a 75 mile commute each way. While sometimes the drive is hair-raising-such as a snowstorm, a deer nearly getting hit, a funny sound coming from my engine-other times it is calm and relaxing. I use a majority of these commutes to talk to God. I will talk to him about my problems, good things that happen to me and so forth.

Pray is not a one-sided thing. It is not one person speaking and one person listening. The other person-God-speaks back through the Holy Spirit. Since God already knows what I am going to say, it is more important to know what God says. Though many people relate to prayer to an activity in church, it is actually part of the love relationship.

God causes things to happen that will make me want to pray. Through prayer God’s will is revealed to me. I pray agreeing that it is his will if my prayer is answered. After praying, I will look for further guidance from the Bible.

Question 2. Could it be that God is seeking to elevate your praying to a level He would be pleased to answer? How might God be leading you to pray?

I already know that I am not doing enough. Sometimes I am facing a situation that is stressful and I may not feel that I will get out of it. I will have doubt in my heart when I pray and sometimes do not have the confidence that God will help me. I start a bargain game with him by saying, “If you do this, I will do that.” Even if God does not do this, I should always do that.

When I pray I must do so with a clean heart. I must leave behind any selfish desires. When I pray the only desire I should have is to know God and do his will. By doing this, the Holy Spirit will reveal to me what God is saying.

Question 3. Have you been experiencing a period of silence from God? Why might God be withholding His word?

There are times when I pray to God to allow something to happen and my prayers are not answered. Sometimes something different happens and I do not understand. I get angry and do not trust God.

I have to ask God to allow me to understand why he did not answer my prayer. For example, I may be asking for something that is too small. God wants to do something greater in my life than I could even think to ask for.

If I am praying and I see that God is responding in a different way my prayer is going, I must adjust my way of praying. I may not be concentrating when I pray. After I pray I need to see how God responds. In a typical day I can pray, then right after I might start concentrating on my daily activities and forget about my conversation with God. Unusual things may happen around me and I may tend to ignore them. I never realize those things relate to my prayer.

After I pray, I must watch what happens. I realize that God will answer my prayers. However, he will answer on his timing, since his timing is best, he will answer my prayers whether it is right away or years from now.

Sometimes God is silent so he could reveal something else about him. Blackaby uses the story of Lazarus. While Jesus could have healed him while he was still alive, he waited until the man had died and was dead for three days. Mary and Martha had witnesses Jesus healing many people. He revealed that he could also raise people from the dead.

Reference:

Questions are taken from Experiencing God Knowing and Doing the Will of God. Henry and Richard Blackaby.