Adventures in Prayer: Do You Hear Me Now?

It was another cloudy day in Maryland. I was driving with weary hands on the wheel. So much was going on at work. When you can see the light in everyone, you want to be on everyone’s side. It’s a lovely desire. But trying to live it out can be difficult, particularly when -- as is often the case -- things are sorted and you’ve seen everyone’s shadow, including your own.

This day, I was worried about who was on my side and how I was going to keep my balance. So I prayed, “Lord, open the doors that need to be open and close the doors that need to be closed. I love this prayer Nancy Clark taught me because it’s a great way to ask for help when you haven’t a clue what help you really need. When you hear the rest of the story, you may think I should have stopped right there. But wanting more, I added something new to the prayer. “And Lord” I said, “I really want to hear your voice more clearly. Could you speak louder?”

I later walked into my office, all the more weary when I remembered it was the day of the big office picnic. There was lots to do to get ready. In midmorning, I rolled our portable PA system out of the closet to do a sound check. It’s a hefty thing built to bring sound to hundreds. The main unit is about four feet tall. On top of this, I locked into place the speaker unit. Its two long hinged strips of speakers in metal cases. They are not very thick or wide but each one is about two feet long. I flipped up the top strip of speakers and I turn the system on.

Not everything was working right, so I bent down to fiddle with the dials. Having trouble reading them, I pushed the unit back a bit to get a closer look. Mistake! The top speaker swung down and wacked the top of my head. Blood streamed down my face, and I ran to the office kitchen to get a paper towel. My coworkers surged just as fast to help, one called an ambulance, one put ice on my head, one started cleaning up the blood on the floor, and within five minutes, I got medical opinions from three doctors in the building. Luckily, the bleeding stopped quickly and I didn’t need to go to the hospital for stiches.

It didn’t take me long to remember my morning prayer when I asked God to speak louder. Boy, did He answer that one! Sure, life is sorted, there are shadows, and not everybody is going to Love you. But don’t get hung up on any of this. Deep down, we are all made of Love that wants to surge and help others. So when things get rocky and you want to keep your balance, keep your mind on this and let your own Love flow. You were meant to swim in it.

Now, I have to laugh at my prayer. And I can’t help but think that God has a sense of humor. In any event, I know what I’m praying next time I want to hear God’s voice or to see Love at work in others. I’m going to pray my hearing and eyesight improve!