I have a close friend who has a bubbly kind of personality. One thing for sure is that when you are with her, it is impossible to be bored! She talks non-stop, hardly pausing between topics for breath. I don’t know how she does it! She must have a second pair of lungs, one for breathing and one for talking! And she is so animated when she talks that she can hardly stay in one spot.

After awhile however, listening to her does become tiring! There comes a point when the mind becomes overcharged with the rapid input of information and it shuts down. Her husband’s mind follows this path quite regularly, and unfortunately, he often gets caught for not listening! Especially when she has just asked him for his opinion!

“So what do you think?”

“Hmmm?”

“Do you think she should do it?”

“Absolutely!”

“What? You think she should leave her husband because he likes dogs? Are you crazy? Haven’t you been listening?”

“Hmmm.”

In all reality, it isn’t easy to maintain a one-sided conversation. Eventually the listener can’t help but shut out the speaker. Yet so often we address our Heavenly Father in the same way! We pray non-stop, and when we end with an “amen”, we wonder why God hasn’t answered.

Unlike humans, God actually does listen to everything we share with Him. He is simply unable to get a word in edgewise because of our incessant talking.

So often we hear people ask: “Why doesn’t God listen to me?” Is it possible that the One not listening isn’t God? Is it possible that it’s the one saying the prayer? Is it possible that our relationship with God is shallow because we don’t give Him time to answer?

How many believers are leading defeated lives because they just don’t know how to listen to their Heavenly Father? And even if they do manage to hear His voice, they just write it off as being their imaginations working overtime.

There is on thing that is for sure: God warns His children of traps set up in front of them. It is our job to develop our inner ear so that we can start listening to what He tells us. Our inner void will never be satisfactorily filled if we don’t take the time to listen to God and develop a true, intimate relationship with Him. One-sided relationships never work! They have to be built on mutual respect and attention to one another.

“The point is, Before you trust, you have to listen.” (Rom 10:17 The Message)

“Listen for GOD’s voice in everything you do, everywhere you go; he’s the one who will keep you on track.” (Prov 3:6 The Message)

“What I do, GOD, is wait for you, wait for my Lord, my God – you will answer!” (Ps 38:15 The Message)

“God, the one and only – I’ll wait as long as he says. Everything I need comes from him, so why not?” (Ps 62:1 The Message)

“Euh? What did you just say?”

“Never mind!”

Rob Chaffart

P. S. “Babelkouse” is a Flemish word for someone who talks non-stop. Hmmm. Do I fit in this category sometimes? Ask my wife; or better yet, ask God!