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by Kenneth Copeland
They spend their entire prayer time
telling God about whatever problem they
may be facing, and that's it. Then they say,
"Amen," without taking time to listen to
what God has to say.
Prayer is meant to be a dialogue, not
a monologue! All of us need to get the
revelation one minister got about that
years ago. Writing about it, he said that one
day as he was lying prostrate on the fl oor
before God, bawling and squalling about his
troubles, it suddenly dawned on him: Here
lies a fool who knows nothing doing all the
talking to the One who knows everything.
Most all of us have fi t that description
at one time or another. But as born-again,
Spirit-fi lled people, we ought to know better
than that. Rather than wringing our hands
in prayer and saying, "Oh, God, I don't know
what I'm going to do!" we need to learn to
pray as the Apostle Paul did—for God to
fi ll us "with the knowledge of his will in
all wisdom and spiritual understanding"
(Colossians 1:9). Then we ought to believe
He's going to do it and wait expectantly in
His presence.
Why can we be sure He'll speak to us and
that we'll be able to hear Him?
Because Jesus said so! He told us He's
the Good Shepherd, we're His sheep, and
we hear His voice (John 10:4). He said the
Holy Spirit whom He sent to live in us will
teach us all things. That He "will guide you
into all the Truth (the whole, full Truth). For
He will not speak His own message [on His
own authority]; but He will tell whatever
He hears [from the Father; He will give
the message that has been given to Him]"
Over the years,
I've found that one
common mistake
believers make when
they pray is that they
do all the talking.
