Worth listening to

There was a time when I would have never said it, but would have believed it deep down in my heart, that God doesn't really hear all my prayers. 

It's true.

I walked around believing a few things. One was that  my life was so insignificant, why would He even care to know all the tiny details of my life, especially if I wasn't that important. Two, He was uninterested in the fact that I desired such trivial things. Are the specifics of my prayers really that important to Him? Does He really care that I desire a gray van? Or a pretty tablecloth. Third, I believed if I didn't pray it, God wouldn't have to know about it. If I didn't tell Him that my heart was struggling with doubt and worry, then He wouldn't have a clue.

Funny thing is, I was wrong on every matter. 

When I started thinking these "truths" in my mind, it shaped how I prayed. I prayed out of routine more than desperation. My prayers were recited from the mouth, not the heart. 

The real truth is, my relationship with my Heavenly Father was suffering so greatly because I simply wasn't talking with Him. 

Our lives ARE significant to Him. 

How do I know this? Well, just look at I Corinthians 6:20.

"For ye are bought with a price..."

If my life has been purchased, would the Purchaser really think it's insignificant? No! He would cherish it, love it, and desire the best for it. That's my God. He does care about every detail and He does think me important. 

He's interested in the trivial.

God finds no greater joy than to hear the prayers of His saints. This includes the small things. In fact, I remember my sister praying that her daughter would be beautiful. Now, some may gasp at such a thing, but honestly, don't we all want good looking kids? Come on... be honest. Guess what my niece looks like. Prettiest little girl, outside of my own of course. :)

God cares. And He desires to hear from you on all accounts. 

He is all knowing.

This is Bible truth 101. If you were raised in a church, no doubt one of the first things you were taught is that God is all knowing. But why is this so important? Well, I used to think they taught us this so we would be scared to do something naughty. (Which by the way, didn't stop me. If you ever get the chance to, and desire to have a good laugh, or be simply shocked, give my Mom a call. She could tell you some stories.)

But the REAL reason this is taught so early on is because once we believe God knows all, it's easier to talk to Him. There isn't that guilt, or need to hide your sin from Him because guess what! He knows about it. 

The fault in thinking that God doesn't know everything will show up in your prayer life. Conversation with our Beloved will be dull and surface level if you assume He doesn't know your heart. 

So when did things change?

Well, I can assure you it wasn't overnight. There was no 12 step program I could check off and BAM! perfect prayer life. It was a daily thing that began to resonate in my heart. "Maybe He does really care. Maybe His love for me stretches further than I know. Let me look into this..."

I still struggle with believing at times. But it's not nearly like it was before. I think like anything, once tested and proven true, it's easier to believe. I tested God. I began to pray for small things, big things, and everything in between. And as He began to move, I began to see just how wonderful He truly is for listening and answer me. 

So I pray I can continue to apply this daily, as the prayers get harder to utter, due to the pain of the words. I pray that my God, who is so gracious and mighty, will continue to listen and answer my prayers how He sees fit. And most important, I hope that I don't let these things creep back into my mind. Because honestly, we need prayer now, more than ever. We need God to be in the insignificant... and the significant.