Who ends the conversation when you are talking with God? In the military the use of two way radios or walkie talkies is common. When a soldier is talking to a superior via radio communication they often say the words – “Roger, Over” meaning information received and I am listening for your reply. The superior officer has the responsibility to end the conversation by proclaiming – “Out or Clear ” meaning I have finished talking to you. What if we applied this same hierarchical strategy to our daily communication with God? Sure we spend time in prayer, but is it God who is ending the conversation? How often do we cut off the conversation with our ultimate superior (God) before He is finished talking with us?

I am not saying that as a Catholic youth leader you spend all day praying and not reaching out to teens, although the Lord might give you the blessing of those days. What I am suggesting is that we communicate with God throughout the day and we work to develop a rhythm of prayer that has our hearts listening all day long for the voice of God. I met a holy veteran soldier that gave me the above analogy. He went on to say that he even hesitates to say the word “Amen” at the end of prayers as it implies he is shutting off communication and not allowing God to say “Out or Clear”.

What is your communication with God like?  Are you allowing God to speak all He wants to? You just might be amazed at how much more there is to hear and how ending the prayer early can actually have you missing out on some of the mystery, grace, mercy and love that God has for you. This next week try it – eliminate the words “Out or Clear” from your prayer life and see what God wants to say!