Lenten Reflection - Sunday 2nd Week

Prayer and Solitude Help Us Listen to God

"This is my beloved Son. Listen to him." - Matt 9:7

Many voices vie for our attention. They can be placed in two camps. One is for us; the other is against.

The first and louder kind says, "Prove that you are a good person," or "You'd better be ashamed of yourself," or "Nobody really cares about you," or "You are a nobody because you don't have anybody," or "You've done THAT! God can no longer love you!" or "The more you become successful, popular, and powerful, the more you will be accepted and loved."

But beneath all these often very noisy voices a still, small voice whispers, "You are my Beloved, on whom my favor rests." That's the voice we need to hear most of all. To hear that voice, however, requires special effort; it requires solitude, silence, and a strong determination to listen. It may take time to get past those defeaning voices telling us that our worth is directly proportional to how well we perform or to what we possess. Yet in time, we come to recognize that gentle voice. God's voice for us. Beyond our sinfulness.

That's what prayer is. It is listening to the voice that calls us, "my Beloved."

"Lord, help me to devote time for prayerful solitude. Help me to listen to your voice within."

inspired by Henri Nouwen