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How often have you felt like Job when he said "I cry to you for help and you do not answer me; I stand, and you only look at me. (Job 30:20)?
I am surprised how often I get an answer to my prayers. It seems the more I pray, the more I feel I get answers. It is not always the case however. Here are some reasons that I think I don't always feel heard:
- We learn in James 4:3 is that "You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions. So I guess that means if we ask for things selfishly, or in a way that will only be used to satisfy ourselves, we shouldn't be surprised if we don't hear back from God.
- In Psalms 37 we are told to "Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him," Have you ever taken time to consider that the Lord was answering a prayer and you were just too busy to take the call? I truly believe one of the most powerful tools the Devil has over a leader is the power of distraction. There are so many things that need to be done in a day....so many meetings.....so many tasks...Have you ever been reminded by a loved one about a conversation that you had with them, that you totally forgot because you were "multi-tasking" when you were talking to them? How many times have you tried to multi-task God? Take quiet time EVERY day to listen.
- In Ecclesiastes 3:11 Solomon states "He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also, he has put eternity into man's heart, yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end." When I read this verse, I remind myself that God is not my assistant. I need to remember that I worship him, not the other way around. Often times, when I don't hear an answer, it is because I have put God on my schedule. As leaders, we are used to other people getting back to us in a "timely" manner. However, God's time is different than ours and he will answer your prayer when HE sees fit. One way to test this is to keep a prayer journal. Jot down what you pray for every day. On a weekly basis, review the prayers that you made and check off the ones that were answered. Continue to revisit the ones that go "un-answered". I found that over the course of time, most of my prayers were answered. (I'm sure all were answered, I just may have missed a couple, or the answer may have been "no")
- Finally, learn how to listen. When I was a boy and read the old testament, I expected God to speak to me like he did to Moses. That I would hear a booming voice that made my bones shake. What I have experienced is something much more subtle but no less impactful. God doesn't need to shout to get his point across. However, I am always sure when I am supposed to do something. It is very hard to explain, and it has taken me practice, but I can feel when I am supposed to do something. I think it stems from responding to something that I felt lead to do, and then seeing the result. As I continued to act on these "feelings" I noticed that more often than not, it lead to outcomes that I had prayed about. Bill Hybles wrote a book called "Whispers" that does a great job talking about this topic. I would recommend reading the book if you are interested.
The whole topic of hearing God's voice is something that is very polarizing. Some people think that it is crazy to think that an all powerful God would respond to every person in the world who wants to speak with Him. But if God so loved the world that he gave his only Son for us so that we would not parish but have eternal life, don't you think he would at least take the time to get to know us? And when it's all said and done, isn't that what prayer is all about?
