Are you abusing the power of the word?

I was wondering whether there is a prayer process. Like, when do you switch from normal mode to prayer mode? Is it when you utter "O God my father" or "Jesus my savior" or some such thing. 

There is no prescription in the Bible. But we are often told that prayer is a conversation with God. 

So how do we start that conversation?  Do we speak words that feel holy?  And do we say it out loud or do we mumble quietly under your breath, or do we think it in our head? 


Whether we think or speak those words, we assume that as soon as we adopt a prayerful attitude i.e. close our eyes, bow our heads, etc, God will start reading our mind or listening to our words. To me, this means that God has to be continuously listening to our words or reading our mind. And therein lies one key reason for unanswered prayers.

 Now, during the day, we think so many thoughts or speak to so many different people. How much the words we utter or think is in line with what would be acceptable to a holy being like God?

How many times did we abuse in our thoughts -- when that one colleague was being a nuisance or when that car cut you in traffic? How many times did we mumble a curse because someone was being a pain?

If you expect God to hear the words you utter in prayer, wouldn't the curses also be heard by him? 

 Which words should he respond to? Is the onus on God to filter out the bad? 

Now two things are possible: either he continues to answer all your asks both the wishes and the curses or he stops responding at all in order to help you avoid the damage that could result from your thoughtless words.

So if you think your prayers are not being answered then you can be sure that any kind of response has been put on hold till you get your act right. The only way to turn this around is to become conscious of the consequences of every single thought you think and every single word you utter.

A hard task. But if you want a response from God, then this is his bare minimum expectation from us. Bless, not curse. Use the power of our words for everyone's good. After all, he is the Word, and each time you say what's not right, you are misusing the power of the word he had bestowed you. So let's pause and ask ourselves whether our words are in line with the purity he demands. 

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