Prayer – Page 13 – The Refreshing of a Wild Rose

“God speaks in the silence of the heart. Listening is the beginning of prayer.” Unknown

We all enjoy conversations with one another. There are some conversations where the tone is light, airy and superficial. Other chats may become deep in revelation with one another. Exchanges with people can cover all areas or no areas at all. I think we have all experienced varieties of discussion.

I first learned about prayer that was not a rote prayer from a nun in my eighth grade year. Sister Kevin opened a class one day and introduced us to having a time of conversing with God. Growing up with reciting prayers from memory, this was a novel idea for me. But that lesson remained with me and still today I think back on that class.

Over the years I have been part of several courses on prayer. I often go back to the basic thought of conversation. When greeting someone, we do not carry on a one sided conversation. We allow the other person to respond and add to the exchange. (of course I have had those who don’t let you get a word in edge-wise also)

The same is true when starting a conversation with our Lord. He is not a jolly Santa who we come to and list our wants and desires and walk away with a treat. No, He is our Creator. He formed us in the wombs of our mothers. He knows the number of hairs on our head. He is intimately aware of how our body works and functions. And He longs to talk with us.

I am guilty of treating Him like a vending machine, expecting immediate results. That is one problem in this instant world of ours. Something breaks in the house? Go buy another. Hungry? Put something in the microwave and zap it. There are immediate answers for everything we set our eyes upon.

We just experienced a power outage at our home. In the seven years we have lived here, this has been the longest time without electricity. It was out for about an hour. It’s a very windy day. A tree had fallen on a line on the main road and that was the culprit. It is now fixed and things are once more humming in the house.

During that hour I went out to walk. The wind was whisking leaves around me, but there was a stillness I was aware of. Something was different.

As I was talking with the Lord while walking, I was impressed that sometimes our lives need to come to a halt. A time to quiet ourselves and listen. We may just hear the wind. We may hear a still small voice. Often, I hear a loud clearing of a throat and words telling me to stop and listen. Such was today on my walk. Our Lord wants to talk with us.

The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, And His ears are open to their cry. Psalm 34:15 (NKJV)

He went on a little farther and fell to the ground. He prayed that, if it were possible, the awful hour awaiting him might pass him by. Abba, Father,” he cried out, “everything is possible for you. Please take this cup of suffering away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.” Mark 14:35-36 (NLT)

According to Strong’s Concordance, the term Abba means, “Father, customary title used of God in prayer. Abba, approximating a personal name, framed by the lips of infants betokens unreasoning trust. Father expresses an intelligent apprehension of the relationship by the child. The two together express the love and intelligent confidence of the child.” The New Strong’s Concordance.

The above verse shows Jesus’ relationship with His Father. He addresses Him with a child-like expression and an adult expression. We see His trust in His Father as He is about to go to the cross for us. In my opinion, this is a prayer for strength and compassion and trust in what is about to happen.

How often are we in a position where we want to pray like this? We know God is in control, that He loves us and yet do we approach Him in a child-like way? Do we have a child-like trust in Him? Knowing, from experience in times of looming appointments or situations I tend to allow dread to fill me instead of trust. In those times I have to put myself into a quiet place alone to truly remember that I trust in God to do what is appointed for me.

There is a man in our church who is an example to me when he prays. His prayers begin with ‘Papa’. A simple address for a mighty God. The first time I heard him pray I was stunned at such a familiar greeting. As he continued I realized that this man knows God. He spends time with Him and is accustomed talking with Him. There is no straight laced formality. He comes to our God and is honest with Him.

It is an incentive for me to get to the place in prayer where I can imagine myself crawling up into our Father’s lap, leaning in and listen to His heartbeat. When I was a child I remember being at an aunt’s house with my parents. The adults were sitting around the table talking and I climbed into my mother’s lap and sat curled up, listening to her heartbeat while she talked with the others at the table. It was a comforting moment in my memory. I have had those times in prayer also. Those are the times where I can truly say, Abba, Father, Papa, I trust you.

So you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God’s Spirit when he adopted you as his own children. Now we call him, “Abba, Father.” Romans 8:15 (NLT)