RECEIVING WORDS

Listening to, and for, the voice of God is a life-long learning process. Just when we think we know a pattern, another is opened up. Even our prayer conversation is like this. Prayer takes a person and words. The words can be vocal or silent. The answer of God can be vocal or silent. His words are like our words. He perfectly speaks our language. Meditation is taking our words into the darkness by faith and having the Lord turn them into light and life.

When we arrive ‘within a word’ we become aware that prayer and meditation have been successful. Words are not made of paper. They are little pockets where we store things in our spirit. Words are what we hear, what we feel, what we believe and what we know. Words are where meanings come from and are defined and from the same word meanings proceed. Our understanding and direction are shaped by what we hear and see, whether we hear and see a little or a lot.

The words are our focus. They are signs and wonders to us, they are poetry, prophecy and parable, they are commitment and oath and determination, and they are answers. To begin to pray is to begin to confront what we hear, see and know. It is not passive, but active, and manifests as we approach the words. We must know that at times we approach a word with joy, hope and love and at other times we allow words to approach us and our grief and burdens.

 “But blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear. For truly, I say to you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.” Jesus