I'm Listening if you want to talk God...

Continuing on in the study of prayer today.  I kept reading in Genesis, chapter 4 and the story of Cain and Able is a very interesting one.  Cain is addressed directly by God regarding his attitude and warned that he must overcome it because sin was on his doorstep.  Cain not only gave in to sin, he slew his brother Able and he then "went away from the presence of the LORD" (Gen. 4;16).  The dynamic here is a very interesting one, notice who went away from who.  Just as in the Garden of Eden, it was man's decision making and self reliance that separated him from God.  We see even in the midst of this tragedy that God had mercy on Cain and even marked him for protection, declaring that any man who killed Cain, vengeance would be taken upon him sevenfold.  During this same time frame, Adam and Eve are still alive and having children.  Eve gives birth to Seth at the end of Genesis chapter 4.

Genesis 4;26

"26 To Seth also a son was born, and he called his name Enosh. At that time people began to call upon the name of the LORD. "

I read several commentaries on Genesis 4;26.  Some scholars feel that this is the introduction of idolatry, and that "call" should be translated as "profane".  Yet others insist that "Call" is the proper translation.  There is also a school of thought that puts it in a hybrid kind of view.  That view is that man began to recognize their depravity, their profaneness, and began to call upon the name of the LORD".  I am not a bible scholar, hebrew scholar, etc, but what I can say is that at this point in human history, man was continuing to distance themselves from God through their actions.  The lineage of Adam is spelled out and we get to the point where God has had enough of the violence of man, hence the flood, Noah and the ark, etc.  

What does all of this have to do with Prayer?

To me, this is the very nature of prayer. Throughout the first, roughly, half of Genesis, we see very personal interactions with God.  God speaking, people listening and responding.  This is really what prayer is in it's truest form.  It is a conversation that takes place between God and man.  We see through out the old testament that man became too casual in their encounters with the LORD.  Instead of respect, admiration, humility, adoration, or any other host of adjectives, man had a "so what" kind of attitude regarding God and instead focused on pleasing himself and his own desires, disregarding God's desire for intimacy.  We  see a slow fade in the intimacy of man with God  because of man's vast sin and godlessness.  God was communicating with chosen men because not all men were listening for God.  All of these communications, prayers if you will, are initiated by God.  This really got my attention today, Prayer begins by LISTENING FOR GOD...and that is humbling.  Prayer doesn't begin with "Dear God...", it begins with a humble heart that says "I'm here listening if you want to talk God..."