Go to sleep (or at least try to) with a number of troublesome issues on the brain...then wake up with none of them solved. Roll over and snatch your smart phone in one clumsy move; checking your emails, text messages, and bank account - only to find your late-night working boss emailed you three assignments at 1 a.m. that she needs to be completed by lunch. It seems like that email sparked the memory of all of the challenges in your life. To quickly take your thoughts off late bills and dwindling finances you thumb through your social media feeds to like a few statuses and reach for the remote control to flick on the T.V., but you catch yourself. Gotta thank the Man upstairs (after all He is first in your life). Then, after your 30 second order...uhh...prayer, with your Droid still in grasp, you hop up to get geared for the day. But maybe the prayer was too long, because you glance at your hand to notice you're about 15 minutes late. So you fuss and cuss your way through the morning; finally ending up with a hefty, complaining sigh...wondering with all of this confusion is God hearing your ever-so-often 30 second petitions.
Honestly, our ultra-busy lifestyles provoke us to question how The Lord's communicates. But there is never a question about God's willingness or ability to hear us (Psalms 17:6). However, when considering the possibility of His responding, there are a few things that must be considered first. The main item being identified in Psalms 34:17; where it's mentioned that "the righteous cry out and the Lord hears it" - meaning that God hearing our prayers is dependent on our devotion to Him (which is ultimately demonstrated by accepting and following Jesus Christ). But the other component in this relies completely on us; and it's called being quiet.
More times than not, after we pray, we carry on with business as usual. Even our worship services are filled with the best prayers tithe money can buy, and then we move to the next part of the show. Not only is this poor communication, but it's downright rude. Imagine if someone begged you for a $20 loan, and right when you reached in your pocket to hand it over they walked away to have a conversation with someone else. Pretty shameless, but most of us treat God that exact same way.
1 Kings 19:11-12 gives insight on the big-time prophet Elijah's hearing of God. Instead of a powerful wind, an earthquake, and a fire; God revealed Himself to Elijah in what was described as "a still small voice." And although Elijah was a human being like us, the separation between him and us is that he was patient enough to listen for God quietly...which included not relying heavily on the tremendous forces of nature that are socially popular to characterizes God's movement. Here, Elijah mastered the skill of shut-up-and-let-God-talk.
Quite possibly, it's time to give God the respect He deserves and listen to Him after you put it all out there. Take just a few minutes to be quiet and still. Let God speak to your heart after prayer. Maybe you can crack open your Bible and see what He's already said about your situation. Whatever you do, don't just walk away after you've said what was on your chest. Believe me, He's got a response that you'll be most pleased to hear.
Peace
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