True story. I try to be good when people are praying – close my eyes and fold my hands like I learned in Sunday School, but sometimes I really wonder what God is thinking when we give him these multiple choice requests (Lord, you could do this, this or that); or when we let him know up front what his limits are (Lord, if you would just do that…); or my personal favorite – when we take on an advisory role with the omniscient God of the universe.
In my mind I have this picture of him stroking his beard thoughtfully and saying, “Hmmm – I did not know that” at someone’s stroke of genius … Or “thanks for telling me that – I had no idea,” when another well-meaning petitioner has pointed out the best approach to remedy a sticky situation, or the inner workings of someone else’s motives.
When do we ever stop and listen to what He has to say? Do we really enjoy the sound of our own voices that much or are we just afraid of what He might be trying to tell us? Some of my most earnest – and effective – times of prayer have been those times when I was broken, at a complete loss for words and desperate. Desperate to hear his voice.