Episode #145 God’s Unconventional Answers & Prayer Outside the Box – Overcoming Pitfalls in Prayer

Hi friends. In these few episodes here, I'm talking about some of the common pitfalls that I see as we connect and grow in having these conversations with God. And so today we're exploring some opportunities that all of us have to approach our conversations with God a little bit differently.

The very last episode, I talked about believing that God wants to talk with us. And so anticipating that he's going to respond when we talk with him. And today we're talking about the different ways that God answers us.
Now at a foundational level, there's a few different types of conversations that we have with God. One is asking him for direct conviction, direction, instruction. And we tend to come to him in those ways, asking questions that can come back with yes, no, or not right now answers.

Now that's good. If you have questions like that going on in your life, please bring those questions to God. It's also helpful that when we come to Him that way, we're prepared to receive any of the answers that He wants to give us.

I can think of times in my life where the only answer I wanted God to give me was yes, and I resisted hearing anything to the contrary. Or I really wanted it to be clear, but to be now. And so an answer like, not right now, just wasn't acceptable. And so in reality, I resisted hearing from God because I really just wanted God to echo back to me what I wanted to hear.

Sometimes the questions that we ask God aren't really related to a spoken, communicated answer, but are more about asking him to act. We're needing for him to provide, to heal, to restore, to intervene on our behalf in some really clear way. Those answers come through how we see God's power or might or love displayed in our circumstances.

And in all of these types of questions, there are a variety of ways that God speaks with us, even conversationally. Sometimes we'll talk with him about something, and we will sense his yes, as we read the word as he reminds us of a circumstance where he's showing his answer. Or in any of the other ways that God speaks with us.

And so if talking with God is fairly new to you, I encourage you. Check out the bonus episode on 12 common ways that God speaks. I've linked it here in the show notes.
These conversations with God can be action oriented, but they can also simply be relational. I shared in a really early episode, it may even be in episode one, about a time that I was driving, and I saw the wind blowing the leaves of trees that line the side of the road.

And I just thought it was beautiful. And I told God, god, wow. That's so beautiful. And I felt him say in my spirit, I did that for you. I knew you'd notice. Conversations with God don't have to only be about areas of provision or direction.

They don't only have to be questions that require us to take action. I think God longs to have more of those relational conversations with us.

Yes, he is transforming us more into the likeness of Jesus. Yes, he wants to meet our needs. He wants to give us instruction and show up in tangible ways to show how he is living and active on our behalf. And also, just like our close human relationships, God wants to spend time together. God wants to talk with us about the things that delight his heart and that delight our hearts.

God invites us into everyday uncommon conversations about all sorts of things. And one of the obstacles that hinders us from accepting that invitation is simply thinking that God is not interested, that God wants to hurry things along and only talk about instruction and only talk about direction.

Or in a similar way to ignore those deep longings that we have in our heart to know God and to know and feel that we are known by Him. And so we can focus our attention only on the instruction or the direction or the provision, and we can miss the ongoing conversation.

Another obstacle that can stand in our way is when we expect that God's communication with us is only going to come in a specific way. So we miss noticing what he's actually saying.

An example of this that I love is from Joshua five when Joshua is about to enter the battle of Jericho and he sees an angel there. And I'll pick it up in verse 13 it says

“When Joshua was by Jericho, he lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, a man was standing before him with his drawn sword in his hand. And Joshua went to him and said to him, ‘Are you for us, or for our adversaries?’ And he said, ‘No; but I am the commander of the army of the Lord. Now I have come.’” (Joshua 5:13-14a)

And so Joshua falls on his face and then asked what the Lord would say to him, his servant. God doesn't confine himself to only answer the specific questions we ask him.
And that's good and right.

The commander of the Lord's armies just said, no, the context you have for this doesn't apply to me at all. I am the commander of God's army. Sometimes we need God to talk with us that way.

We need him to speak outside of the confines of our circumstance or our expectations, or even our question structure.

Look at the questions that you're asking him and see if he wants to expand your awareness to how he's answering you in ways you might not have expected.

In whatever circumstance you're facing today, I know God wants to meet you there in it. Whether it's in deep or heavy conversations, as you're asking God for significant answers or provision or whether it's in lighthearted conversations as you notice him on display in the world, God longs to talk with you.

And so our uncommon question today is more a response to God's invitation to connection. We're asking him to help us notice him.

God. I know you're speaking with me. Will you help me notice and hear you so I can respond to you?

Have a good talk.

And if you've been encouraged by this content, please share it with a friend and help them grow in their conversational relationship with God too!

Connect with Jen on Instagram