Sun. Oct. 20, 2013 (Peter Nosco)

Dr. Peter Nosco spoke about 'Talking and Listening to God' based on The Parable of the Persistent Widow from Luke 18:1-8 and the importance of divinely-inspired Scripture from 2 Timothy 3:14-4:5.  Prayer is talking to God, who hears and responds in one of at least 4 ways:  'Yes', 'No', 'Ask Again' or 'Wait'. When we pray for miracles, the answer may be that God's grace should be sufficient, but we sometimes perceive this as God not listening. Are there prayers that we can expect to always be answered with a "yes" (send us the Holy Spirit, or help us resist temptation)? Like a loving parent never tires of hearing respectful questions from a child, God is pleased by our perseverance in the faith. Peter related two of his experiences of answered prayer -- one for safety on a dark road in the snow, and another for being led through his career path. Don't be afraid to ask for something small and personal, but don't put God to the test; consider it the beginning of a dialog. Surrender to God's will, and compare your requests to the Scripture. Reading the Scripture is an excellent way to hear what God is saying to us and to the church. [KH]

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