Prayer

Have you ever heard the voice of God? What did it sound like? Often times, when we think of prayer, we think of it just in terms of talking at God: praying devotional prayers like the rosary or novenas, telling God what we need or what we want, etc. But when you read through the saints and their prayer lives, or when you look through the stories of people coming to Jesus with various needs, you see that it is more conversational than that. We talk to God, but how often do we actually listen?

Often times I think when I speak on this subject, people think I am referring to the Monty Python image of God ripping open the heavens and calling to us in a booming thunderous voice. That is not the way. God gave us a variety of gifts, all of which He can use to speak to us. The difficulty is recognizing the difference between God’s voice and our own distractions. He can even speak to us through what we think are daydreams. If you are trying to listen for God and are worrying about whether or not you are “doing it right,” perhaps try focusing less on what you are or are not doing and just let God take control, let what comes to you come to you. God wants to speak to you; just give Him the chance.