Devote yourselves to prayer, keeping alert in it with thanksgiving.
-Colossians 4:2 (NRSV)
MANY people thought my mother, who had suffered strokes and congestive heart failure, could not understand what was said to her because she seldom spoke. But, we, her family, knew she understood. She could speak volumes without uttering a word. When she was angry, her eyes flashed and her mouth pursed. When she was sad, her eyes filled with tears.
Our son, Nick, went to say good-bye to her before leaving to serve in the army in Germany. He squatted by her wheelchair, took her hand and talked quietly. She looked at their clasped hands, refusing to acknowledge she understood. Finally, his voice breaking, Nick said, "Well, I'd better go, Grandma. I love you." He stood and headed for the door but was stopped by one soft word, "Hey." Nick paused, turned, and smiled, as Mama motioned him to return. When he reached her side, she pulled him down, kissing his cheek and smiling.
Sometimes when we speak to God, like Nick with his grandmother, we wonder if God hears and understands. As surely as my mother heard and understood, God hears and understands our sorrows and joys when we pour out our hearts in prayer.
