This week, my early morning prayer time was unusually difficult. I think it was because I had a lot of garbage in my mind. Why? I think it was because of my artificial attempts to find ways and means in my troubles, beyond the realm of praying for my sincere desires. I realized this because I took time to pray, so it's no surprise that devotional time is essential.

  Last week, the associate pastor's heart window was titled "Confession". I could see the thoughts of the heart. The writer shares his current thoughts and mental map in the "Window on the Heart" section at the front of the church bulletin. I spend a lot of time and effort to make it impactful in a short article. Sometimes I feel like my mind is naked. It's a one-way street. However, I continue because as a pastor of a church, I want to communicate as a preview service to lead the body of Christ according to the Lord's will. 

  I believe that as the heart is in the mind, so is the will, and as the will, so are the thoughts and words. I am even more convinced that those thoughts and words are manifested in a person's life and behavior. As I mentioned earlier, my prayer was difficult because I was praying for a quantitative revival of the church in 2024 like a flock to the Lord. Eagerness and desire prevailed, and as my lips formed the words of supplication, my ears, and mind heard the sounds of methodologies, books, lectures, or testimonies.

  This phenomenon is often referred to as selective listening. Most of us, including myself, are familiar with the sounds we want to hear. When our hearts and minds get ahead of us, it means that other truths or counsel are harder to hear. In other words, when our heart's desires get ahead of the Lord's will, our ears to hear God's intimate words are hindered. 

  With this realization, I return to my knees in prayer. Each time I pray, I fight fiercely and diligently to see, hear, and know God's heart and will, not what I want to see and hear. The more eager and hungry I am, the more difficult this prayer becomes. But there is a reason why I cannot give up or stop praying. It is because I know the answer. God's timing and ways have always been right and will always be right. I believe that a prayer of faith is possible when we know this.

  Therefore know that the Lord God is the true God.   The LORD is a faithful God. (Deut. 7:9)