God Has Heard My Prayer

Let My Words Be Few

God is in Heaven and you are on earth, so let your words be few. — Ecclesiastes 5:2

Ever get so carried away talking to God that you realize you didn’t spend any time listening to Him? Yes, your heavenly Father wants to hear from you. He desires you to be open and honest with Him.

He cares about your hurts and disappointments, even your disappointments in Him. You can spill your heart to Him. Yet heeding Solomon’s words is wise.

Solomon reminds us that we should make listening a priority.

God longs to hear from us (2 Chronicles 7:14; Psalm 88:2; Luke 18:1), but He also wants us to hear from Him (2 Timothy 3:16–17).

We have the privilege of prayer only because He grants us access, so we should not approach Him with hollow words, frivolous or rote prayers, or promises made lightly.

Prayer is an intimate conversation with God and should be treated as such.

Letting your words “be few” can help you pray more simply and sincerely. It can also help you be more attentive to whatever He wants you to hear Him say.

Share your heart with God, but save some time to listen with your soul.

“I pray to God to know Him, to find direction for my life, and to lay my requests before Him.”

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A Personal Conversation

I will consider all Your works and meditate on all Your mighty deeds. — Psalm 77:12

Sometimes we just need to get something off our chest. We need to vent and process. After we do, we tend to feel better.
In Psalm 77, Asaph unloaded or — to use a biblical word — lamented.

We find anguish and grief in Psalm 77:7–9:

Will the Lord reject forever? Will He never show His favor again? Has His unfailing love vanished forever?… Has God forgotten to be merciful?”

Asaph didn’t hold back!

But we also see in verse 12 above that, as he vented and ranted, Asaph came to remember who God is and what He had done for him. The same can happen to you. You can start by sharing your pain with God, but as you talk to Him, you will be reminded of who He is and all He has done for you. You’ll see His good involvement in your life, and your lamentations will become declarations of hope and trust. After all, prayer is not to be some kind of eloquent performance.

Prayer is a personal conversation with your heavenly Father who loves you.

Don’t hesitate to lament and vent. But like Asaph, choose to consider God’s good works in your life and meditate on His mighty deeds.

Excerpted with permission from Believe by Randy Frazee, copyright Randy Frazee.

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Your Turn

Prayer binds us to Jesus. It’s a relationship. An honest one. In prayer we learn to trust Him, share with Him, and lament in times of sorrow and confusion. And we remember His goodness. Come share your thoughts on speaking and listening in prayer. We want to hear from you!