We Need to Be Willing to Listen
Prayer is communication with God.
Communication is the process by which information is exchanged between individuals through a common system of symbols, signs, or behaviors. It is the process of transmitting information.
Communication is a two-way street; it goes both ways.
Too often when we pray, we’re focused on asking God for things we want. It’s okay to ask God for things. That doesn’t mean we’ll always receive them. We also need to remember to listen.
David is a good example of communicating with God.
After Saul had tried to kill David enough times, David realized Saul was never going to stop trying. So David decided his only option was to escape to the land of the Philistines so Saul would stop looking for him. (1 Samuel 27:1)
While David was living in the land of the Philistines, he found favor with Achish, king of Gath. Achish gave the city of Ziklag to David. While he was there, David attacked people who were enemies. (1 Samuel 27:8)
Now the Philistines were preparing to attack the Israelites, and Achish expected David to go with them. (1 Samuel 28:1-2) But the other Philistine commanders wouldn’t allow David to come. (1 Samuel 29:4)
So David and his men returned to Ziklag, only to find that the Amalekites had attacked the city, burned it down, and taken the women and children captive. (1 Samuel 30:1-4)
David and his men were heartbroken. Their families had all been taken. David’s men blamed him and even talked about stoning him. But David found strength in the Lord.
David inquired of God: “Should I pursue these raiders? Will I overtake them?”
“Pursue them,” the Lord replied, “for you will surely overtake them and rescue the captives.”
David asked God and he listened.
So David and his six hundred men went after them. (1 Samuel 30:5-9)
And David struck them down from twilight until the evening of the next day. So David recovered everything the Amalekites had taken, including his two wives. Nothing was missing, young or old, son or daughter, or any of the plunder the Amalekites had taken. David brought everything back. (1 Samuel 30:17-19)
Then, in 1 Samuel 31, the Philistines killed Saul and his sons, and David became king.
After the Philistines heard that David had been anointed king over Israel, they began searching for him.
The Philistines came and spread out in the Valley of Rephaim.
“So David inquired of the Lord, ‘Should I go up against the Philistines? Will You deliver them into my hand?’
‘Go up,’ replied the Lord, ‘for I will surely deliver the Philistines into your hand.’
So David went to Baal-perazim, where he defeated the Philistines and said, ‘Like a bursting flood, the Lord has burst out against my enemies before me.’
Once again the Philistines came up and spread out in the Valley of Rephaim. So David inquired of the Lord, who answered, ‘Do not march straight up, but circle around behind them and attack them in front of the balsam trees. As soon as you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the balsam trees, move quickly, because this will mean that the Lord has gone out before you to strike the camp of the Philistines.’
So David did as the Lord had commanded him, and he struck down the Philistines all the way from Gibeon to Gezer. (2 Samuel 5:17-25)
David is a great example of how we should pray.
Psalm 86 is one of those prayers.
David wasn’t perfect. None of us are.
When David prayed, he communicated with his Heavenly Father, and he listened to what God had to say.
Too often, we want God to do things our way.
Prayer doesn’t change God … it changes us.
Real communication isn’t just speaking. It’s listening, too.
