2019-1-28

Psalm 5:1-12

O Lord, hear as I pray; pay attention to my groaning. Listen to my cry for help, my king and my God, for I pray to no one but you.  Psalm 5: 1-2

According to Cambridge dictionary, hearing is simply an event; it is something, which happens to us as a natural process. Listening is an action; it is something we do consciously. Often time, many Christians use” I will pray for you” as a pious platitude. But, are we really “listening” to his/her need? If we actively listened to our friend in need, we would have translated that listening into actions. James 2:16 says: If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in your power to act Proverbs 3:27. Essentially active listening will lead to action that makes a difference.

King David makes a resolution to pray to God alone. I do not object to praying corporately or couples praying together; however, we sometimes fall into the pitfall of using big words in our prayers in order to impress, comfort or to send a message to them. We forget the target of our prayer is to God, not to other listeners.

Let’s us make a resolution to become a listener and channel our prayers to God alone.           —– Alan Yam