Two-minute read.
“You don’t listen to me, why should I listen to you?”
People tend not to listen. I do it to Ron, he does it to me, and we all do it to God. The closer the relationship, the better we get at not listening. From my perspective, we take people for granted, assume we know what they will say, or become so engaged in our own world that we ignore everyone else. Whatever the reason, when people don’t listen to us, we don’t listen to them.
And when we don’t listen to the Lord, He turns a deaf ear towards us. Simple but complex, we can use lying as an example. When we believe a lie of the world, such as “You do you,” we shift our perspective away from God. In our efforts to “do you,” our self-involvement causes us to ignore the Creator’s commands. But then we need something only the Savior can provide, so we turn to Him in prayer, expecting quick results. But God doesn’t listen, because we didn’t listen to Him. As Christ’s followers, we live with priorities different from our own. Joy comes from living by JOY: Jesus, Others, Yourself.
When we start listening to God, He bends down to hear our prayers (Psalm 116:2). If you begin the conversation with, “Lord, I’m sorry I’ve been so self-involved,” God wants to hear what comes next. As we begin to live by the Almighty’s precepts, we put Him and others before ourselves, swimming upstream in a world of “you do you.”
If you want God to hear your prayers, listen to His commands. Live by the Savior’s teachings and example and discover an intimate relationship with the Lord as He leans in to hear every word you say.
Journal Question:
When have you felt like God doesn’t hear your prayers?
What area of your life do you need to start listening to the Lord?
How would you describe a relationship with God?
Prayer:
Lord, thank You for listening to our prayers. Please help us listen to You, apply Your teachings to our lives, and become more like Jesus. Let us glorify You in all we do.
IJNIP. Amen
