December 10, 2009
Prayer is a Two Way Street
Sharon Jaynes
Today's Truth
"My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me" (John 10:27NIV).
Friend To Friend
I had been in Raleigh, North Carolina on a speaking engagement when we got the news that Hurricane Floyd was making his way up the coast. The ladies quickly said their goodbyes and I hopped in my car to make the three hour trip home. Already the rain was pelting my windshield and the trees were swaying in the gusty wind. A hurricane so far inland was quite unusual. Once I made it out of town and to the highway, I joined several thousand travelers trying to outrun and escape the storm. Men, women, and children as far as two hundred miles away were on the road evacuating the coastal areas.
During my adventure, God and I had plenty of time for conversation. He showed me that my journey home was much like many people's prayer lives. See, I was stuck in a long line of evacuation traffic. My side of the highway was clogged with panicky people trying to get as far away from the storm as possible.
However, on the other side of the highway, the lanes heading east, there was only the occasional brave traveler determined to get to his or her destination. I imagine that's how God sees His children pray. There's a looooooong line of people calling out for help - that would be the evacuation lane. And then there's the sparse few people listening to what God has to say - that would be those heading in the eastbound lane.
While prayer is a two way street, many of us spend far more time on the street directing our prayer to God for help than we do on the street receiving His direction. But I have learned that what God has to say to me is far more important than what I have to say to Him, and I need to be praying in both lanes - speaking and listening.
Let's Pray
Dear Lord, sometimes I just talk too much. Help me to spend more time listening to You when I pray. I'm going to make it short today, because now I'm going to simply listen...
In Jesus' Name,
Amen.
Now It's Your Turn
Do you find it difficult listening to God? If so, here's an idea.
Find a passage of Scripture to read (perhaps John 15).
Now read just a few verses or one verse at a time, pausing to ask God to speak to you.
As you meditate on the verses, what thoughts come to mind?
Pick a few verses to think on during the day. Note any new thoughts that come to mind regarding the verses.
I'd love to hear your comments. Just log onto www.sharonjaynes.com/blog or on facebook at www.facebook.com/sharonjaynes
More From The Girlfriends
Today's devotion was taken from Becoming a Woman who Listens to God. If you would like to learn more about how God speaks, barriers that impair our hearing, and bridges that help, then this is the book for you. It also includes a study guide for those who want to dig deeper into God's Word.
Seeking God?
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Originally published Thursday, 10 December 2009.
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