"Speak Lord, for Your servant hears" (1 Samuel 3:9)

There is something special about the many firsts of a baby - his first smile, when he learns to crawl, or his first steps. When my grandson Danny was a little more than a year old he said his first word. It wasn't Da Da. It was "Doog." No, this wasn't babble from a toddler. He was making word association. His family has a dog. Danny stretched out his little arm with the index finger pointing to the dog and said, "Doog."

As you can imagine, his mother was all excited because Danny was beginning to talk. The day was coming when they would be able to communicate and share thoughts with each other.

It's the same with us and God. Our heavenly Father longs for us to talk with Him through worship and praise, thanksgiving, intercession, and repentance. But, we in return also want to hear from Him. We want to hear His reassuring words of love toward us, receive His direction and be reassured He will never leave us.

Many times we do hear His voice in the quietness of our heart. But, sometimes there is silence. Is that because God is not speaking or because we can't hear Him?

A sure fire way to hear God is by reading and meditating on the Scriptures. Reading the Scriptures opens up the revelations of God, for when God initiates prayer through His Word, He is calling us directly from the throne of heaven.

A conversation can begin when we repeat back what God has shown us in the Bible. When the God says, "The eyes of the blind shall be opened and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped" (Isaiah 35:5), then respond back, and discuss this verse with Him. Thank God for allowing your eyes to see the truth about Him. When the God says, "God is love" (1 John 4:8), then respond back and praise Him for loving you. You will soon discover a dialogue developing as you look at each Word God says. Before long, you too, will have an expanded prayer life.

Danny is nearing two years old now. He is growing and learning so much. Imagine how my daughter's heart will warm when he tells her, "I love you Mommy."

Pastor Larry Wenzel