My son told me recently of a Zoom meeting he had attended where the host was connecting from another country and had an unstable internet connection. She would freeze but the rest of the meeting could continue. This led to a lot of frustration and the meeting outcome was not successful.
Those of us in the older generation remember radio static. If you tried to tune a radio to AM stations there was a very narrow band of clarity amidst a sea of static with signals from two different broadcasting stations sometimes being received at the same time. The signals relied on a transmitter where they originated and a receiver, which had to be tuned in to the correct frequency. Radio transmissions between aircraft or ships relied on the same principle.
Fortunately, our communication with God, prayer, does not suffer from these limitations. However there are things that can interfere with our prayers.
In Psalm 66 David says, “If I had cherished sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened.”
In other words, un-confessed sin that we clutch to ourselves can cause a barrier to our communication with God from the transmitting end. Our signal is not transmitted clearly.
Interference at the receiving end is more often the problem. God’s messages are clear but we are not tuned in to the right frequency. We are tuned in to the world’s frequency or that of our own little kingdoms.
There are certain practices that can help tune our spiritual receivers. One is scripture reading. Reading through a Psalm can focus our attention on God. Nature can be another great help in tuning our receivers. It is but a short step from being overwhelmed by the grandeur of the creation around us to turning our hearts to the Creator. Being mindful, or aware is still another helpful practice. I wrote a post about it recently.
In actual fact, God is very near to each of us. He is as close to us as our breath. He longs to communicate with us.
The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on Him in truth. (Psalm145:18 NIV) God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us. ‘for in him we live and move and have our being.’ (Acts 17:27,28a NIV)
My Prayer
Father God, please tune my heart to Your frequency, open my eyes and ears to Your messages. Thank you. Amen.
Coffee in the Rain 