“Keep going,” especially when it doesn’t make sense or
when no one else is cheering you on, His voice will give
you what you need to persevere and not give up.
(4) Two-way conversations. Prayer is not just talking! This
suggestion may seem intriguing, but it’s not a new or
novel idea. I didn’t think of prayer as a two-way
conversation with God before attending that youth
worker’s conference. I used to believe that prayer was
simply my telling God how I felt and what I needed (or
wanted). I was an out-of-balance, unenlightened, self-
centered person when it came to intimacy with God. Allow
your alone time to be when you daily ask for and receive
God’s counsel, and long discussions hammer out strategic
ideas until final decisions are made under the presence of
His Holy Spirit. If you’re like I was, this might be quite
unfamiliar to you. You might be more prone to releasing
quick, urgent requests when all things go haywire. Or
perhaps you’re more comfortable impulsively barreling
through obstacles rather than stopping to consult God
first. If so, setting aside time daily to both talk and listen
to God will definitely require a conscious change of
communication style.God is not content just knowing you or occasionally
attracting your attention; He wants to regularly be with you!
From the hundreds of books I’ve read and from my personal
experience over the past twenty-five years, neither desire nor
discipline is enough to sustain a consistent or daily
appointment with God. You’ll also need a design that will make
letting God talk to you a daily reality.