“Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known” (Jeremiah 33:3; all Scripture quotations are from the English Standard Version).

Prayer is a dialogue. Since most of us never hear God speaking audibly, we might think of it as a one-way conversation. I talk, and God listens, but He does not respond.

That is not how prayer works. We speak to God. He says “Call to me.” But while we may not hear His voice shaking the land, He still replies: “I will answer you.”

We may not hear or recognize God’s response because we think of prayer as one compartment of our day. We might have morning devotions, reading the Bible and saying a few prayers. But then, we close our Bibles, say “Amen,” and ignore God for the rest of the day. However, He is calling us to an infinite relationship. Even if we said that final “Amen” at the end of our morning devotions, we should expect God to go with us throughout the day. Morning prayer should be the ignition that fires us into action throughout the day. He goes with us and gives us wisdom, strength, encouragement, and patience to face whatever circumstances we encounter.

We might not hear God’s response to our prayers until we go about our business. Someone might say something, and the Holy Spirit might plant a thought in our minds: “Remember when you prayed about that this morning? Think about what your co-worker just said. There’s your answer!”

The Holy Spirit might plant other thoughts in our minds. During morning prayers, you might say, “God, help my friend with this problem he is going through.” A while later, you think, “I could give him this. He needs it more than I do. Wait, I never would have thought to do that. Thank you, Jesus!” We may never hear God’s voice echoing aloud through our room, but He is always speaking. We only need to listen.

He also speaks to us through His Word. As we read the Bible, He will give us wisdom to act upon.

He also speaks to us through other people, particularly other Christians. Listen as your pastor preaches the Sunday morning sermon. Approach it thinking, “God, what do You want to say to me through my pastor today?” If we expect to hear from Him, we will.

Prayer is not just a religious obligation or spiritual discipline that we can check off on our to-do list every day. It is the foundation of a living, vibrant, intimate personal relationship with God. “Call to me, and I will answer you….” God was telling Jeremiah, “Call to me in faith and repentance. Ask Me to help you. Call out to Me, not your false gods and idols. Trust Me—not your wealth, wisdom, weapons, abilities, and so on—to get you through this attack. Return to Me, and I will give you forgiveness, healing, restoration, and renewed blessing and prosperity.” (Read the entire chapter, Jeremiah 33, to see some of the blessings that God promised to give the people of Judah after they would return to Him.)

“Call to Me, and I will answer you, if you have ears that are willing to hear.”

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Lord, teach us to pray and help us to listen. Sometimes, we rush through our morning devotions, telling You what we want and half-heartedly reading a few verses or chapters out of the Bible. Help us to remember that prayer is a dialogue. You want to hear from us, but You also want to speak to us. Give us ears to hear and hearts ready to turn to You throughout the day. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Do you approach prayer as a dialogue with God? How would this perspective affect how you pray or keep the Lord in mind throughout the day? Share your thoughts in the comments field below.

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