Is Anybody Listening?

Sometimes praying can be difficult. We sit and speak out loud (or in our head) to what can seem like, either no one. Or maybe it feels like a letter that gets sent to some place (a suggestion for that is don’t say “dear God/Father”). This can be a difficult thing because when that happens we feel like God is not listening. We feel like he is not present and active in our prayer life. And this can be discouraging.

I was at the farmers market the other day and a lady was telling me she was having these same problems. She was trying to reconnect with God after rebelling when she left home from a pretty strict religious background after turning 18. She continued to tell me about how she began her process to return to an awareness of God. She said yoga started that motion. Then she mentioned teaching yoga online during covid. She said she had to record sessions and set them up for her students to listen to later and when the video sessions came out she would receive questions and comments about the episode. I asked her how it felt to record those videos. She said it was a bit awkward but that she knew her audience listening and enjoyed each session. And those responses motivated her (along with the money she was making from the videos) to continue to do and make the videos. She knew she had an audience. She just had to remind herself of that.

I think that is how it is with God. We have to remind ourselves that he is present and active during our prayers. He is listening. It may seem like we are talking to a camera (in the case of recording videos) but there is actually an audience. Yahweh is listening to and concerned with what we have to say. This is true because the scriptures encourage us to pray non stop (1 Thessalonians 5:17, Philippians 4:6, Ephesians 6:18). This is because God desires to speak with us and fellowship with us. So I want to encourage you as well as myself today to pray. Take the time to make your heart known to God. Let him know that you want to hear from him. And trust that he is listening because he is.