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He is initiating. Want to make prayer a part of your daily routine but unsure how? Learning how to pray for the first time or trying to understand prayer better? Through the eyes of a pastoral scholar, learn what it means to pray and what prayer means for a Christian. Find this title and more from this magazine at cph.org/ llresources. IS GOD LISTENING?: MAKING PRAYER A PART OF YOUR LIFE Join the conversation that's already going on about you. The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit know you completely. Romans 8 reminds us that the Spirit intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words, and the Son intercedes on our behalf (v.26). The conversation within the Trinity is going on long before we pray. 6 More often than I care to admit, I ap- proach prayer as something I initiate with the expectation that God will re- spond to me. I ask God for discernment, and He directs me. Or I ask for forgiveness, and He absolves me. In this way of thinking, I can forget a foundational truth: God is already speaking to me! Prayer isn't as much about me dialing God's number and hoping He's available to talk but more like me answering a ringing phone because God has words to share. Since we consider prayer a conversational experience with God, it's worth noting who begins the dialogue anyway. "Prayer does not begin with our decision to approach God with our requests," Rev. Bob Hiller aptly notes. "Rather, God makes the first move. He stands at the door and knocks with His arms full of gifts to give. His invitation evokes prayer from us." 5 All of Christian life begins with God's action. In Bap- tism, the Holy Spirit comes to us with the gift of faith. In hearing God's Word, Scripture plants life-giving seeds in our hearts. And in prayer, we respond to the conversation that is already happening. Rev. Dr. Daniel Paavola encourages us further: Why is this worth stating? Because in prayer, we get to see and expe- rience the overflowing love and care God has for us. We pray knowing that God desires to hear our prayers, because He is the one who takes the first step, seeking us out to give us His rich blessings. In doing so, we learn that we already have God's attention. As our Father, He's already familiar with our story and knows our needs. He's eager to hear from His children. So pick up the proverbial phone. Your heavenly Father is calling, and He's ready to speak with you. w 5 Robert Hiller, 5 Things You Can Do To Have a Faithful Prayer Life (St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 2013), 7. 6 Shared in an email interview conducted for this magazine issue. Lutheran Life 7

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