Ear
to the Heart of God
Matthew 6:33
But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness; and all these things shall be
added to you. (NAS)
You go to prayer. Your mind is filled with so many things - things of the day, family, friends, seeking God's blessing on your events, those in need of salvation, healing and so forth. One by one you go down the list of prayer requests. And before you know it, you are out of time. The "Daily Schedule" encroaches and hurries you away to accomplish the "to do" list.
You can take comfort that at least you had time to pray.
The question is, "Did you seek the Lord or did you pray for things?" Certainly, our requests are welcomed by our God. In fact, He encourages our petitions. But the things we asked for are all birthed in our conscious awareness of what we believe is necessary. When our time is done with Him we hope to walk out of our session with our hands full of answers to the things in our heart and mind.
What if? What if our prayer times were almost totally consumed with seeking Him and His righteousness? What if, all of our requests were put on the back burner and we focused just on Him - no matter how noble or spiritual our petitions were? What if our only desire - our one and only desire - was to be with Him?
When I was a child I enjoyed climbing up on my father's lap as he read the newspaper. Often he would put his arm around me in a gentle embrace. I would lay against his strong chest and listen to him while he lost himself in the nightly news. Though he did not speak, yet I would listen - to his heartbeat and his gurgling stomach that impatiently cried for sustenance. I felt his warmth. I knew he liked having me there. It seemed so right, so safe, a quiet communion with my daddy. It was a special time with him. Not much was spoken nor were many requests made. It was alone time. I have never forgotten those moments. It was more than quality time together or bonding time. It was oneness with my life's maker.
It was in these moments that I understood the character and love of my father. From these lap experiences I came away changed by his strength. During these episodes things didn't matter, he did.
When it comes to prayer, it seems that we have been taught that making requests is what you do. But all these "things" are already taken care of for us by our Father. What He wants is you, coming near to Him, reaching up so He may pick you up and put you on His lap. Prayer is seeking God, face to face - or ear to heart. Prayer is pressing our ear to His heart and just listening to Him. Listening and knowing, listening and knowing. The private inner heartbeat of God is the sweetest sound of life. This secret world of God is waiting for all of His children to come to Him, be held by Him and embraced in His love. Prayer is listening in His embrace.