A phrase that has been very close to my heart in recent days especially but something that God has been continually asking me since about the start of September is “Why not?” We so often put God in a box and try to limit our infinite Creator by saying that this is the way God works, speaks, heals, gifts etc. Our understanding and/or experience IS NOT what God is limited to!!
This morning’s reading from “The Art of Listening Prayer” was about God’s communication principles. The principles of communication with God and others listed were:
1. In normal personal relationships, dialogue is initiated by asking questions. Questions prompt responses.
2. In normal personal relationships, after posing a question, it is customary to expect a response and to wait for it. So it is with God.
3. In normal personal relationships, the listener does not interrupt or allow distractions, but focuses his attention on the speaker.
4. In normal personal relationships we recognize the voice of the other party . . . . The point is, if you are not accustomed to hearing God’s voice, don’t expect miracles right away. Keep practicing. Just as you learned to recognize the voice of a friend, you will learn to recognize his voice.
5. In normal personal relationships, people use a variety of means to communicate.
6. In an intimate friendship, there are expressions of affection and extended periodic conversations. So it must be with God.
7. Honesty is important. God wants us to be honest with him, just as we expect honesty from our friends.
(Seth Barnes “The Art of Listening Prayer” p 61-63)
God is doing so much in my prayer life and how I communicate with him in this season of my relationship with him. At the core of this growth and change is again this question “Why not?” Why not pray for this person, why not pray for their healing, why not pray that they will be changed, why not pray for transformation of this community, why not pray in new ways, why not ask me to speak to you in new ways, why not pray for that gift, why not pray for that opportunity? Why not Chad? Matthew 7:11 says: “. . . . how much more will your heavenly Father give good gifts to those who ask him” (NLT).
Why not ask the Lord?
Jeremiah 10:21 says: “The shepherds are senseless and do not inquire of the LORD; so they do not prosper . . . .” (NIV).
Why not ask the Lord? What have you got to lose by asking?
Habakkuk 2:1 says: “I will climb up into my watchtower now and wait to see what the Lord will say to me and how he will answer my complaint” (NLT).
Why not ask the Lord and then wait to see how he answers?
This is such a rich truth that God has been challenging me with daily. I challenge you in the same way; why not ask the Lord? You only have every thing to gain.
I’d like to close with a blessing a read I read this morning from Numbers 6:24-26 (NLT):
May the Lord smile on you and be gracious to you.
May the Lord show you his favour and give you his peace.”
Why not?
Chaddington
