The One Sided Love Affair...

Prayer is the conduit that connects us to the heart of God. Dr. Richard Leaphart

Two weeks ago my Pastor made this statement. As I listened to his message I began to think about my prayer life, and how I pray about everything and in every situation. I don’t often hear God’s response when I think I should, but as I continued to listen to Pastor’s message, I began to think about what I was doing wrong.

I pray and I spend time with God in the morning before I start my day and then again at the end of the day. I pray small prayers throughout the day. However, I came to the realization that I do a lot of talking and seldom sit still and listen to God’s heart.

Why? Because I’m an impatient, unorganized, crazy scheduled person. What I got from his entire message was that I need to be still and listen sometimes. After I pray, I can’t just get up and leave, but find the time to hear God, as well. Just as I have a conversation with people in life, I have to be prepared to hear what He has to say, as I hear what others have to say.

Not staying and listening can be a selfish aspect of my character. I want to be heard, but I don’t want to hear. Scratch that, I want to hear. I just don’t want to have to wait. And that’s a problem, because I’m on His time, He isn’t on mine.

Yes, I quite often asked Him to guide me and show me how I can bless others throughout my day. I asked Him to teach me how to do His will and lead others to Him. My prayers aren’t always of the “gimme factor.” But I quite often pray for others, and pray for His guidance and His will. But I wasn’t listening so that I could know what His will was, or where His guidance would leave me.

I was a selfish, all-about me, lover in my love affair with God. I wanted His heart focused on me, but my heart was not completely focused on His wants, His needs, or His desires. My words were saying one thing, but my actions were showing another.

Throughout the last week, I begin to be still and pay attention the way I used to when I first fell in love with God. And the more I stayed still, the more patient I became, the more OUR communication improved. It was no longer a one-sided love affair.

Prayer is an invocation, meditation, contemplation, imploration, an appeal, and so much more. Prayer is a dialogue (interchange, conversation, discussion) and a relationship with our Heavenly Father. It has the power to change our hearts, and revolutionize our lives! Prayer gives us strength, comfort, and power for living a righteous life both in the natural and the spiritual.

But to get the best out of our prayer life, we must set aside committed, undisturbed, and distraction-free time to spend with Him. We must care about His heart, willing to hear what lies on His heart. He wants more than a one-sided, lop-sided, love affair with His children. He wants all or nothing.

Do you give Him the best that you’ve got?

Have a blessed, prayer-filled, fully balanced love affair week.

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Living Life Beautifully Inspired!
Chelle Ramsey