We must all consider what we are truly attempting to accomplish when we pray. Is our goal for God's will to accomplish our will, or is our will to align with His perfect will? When we pray do we set aside a time, then when that time is over, do we put on music, or get on the phone, etc. If so, then we are not even giving time to hear from Him. Our prayers amount to a monologue then. For some they say the same ritualistic prayers day in and day out with no real relationship in mind. Consider how well our relationship with our spouse would be if we simply recited the same words to him or her daily. Even for those who pour out their heart to God, if there is no time of reflection or meditation there is still no real relationship. If I poured out my heart to my wife, and the moment she wanted to respond I either changed the subject or turned away, again my relationship would not last long. Our relationship with God must be a dialogue. He will communicate with us through prayer, through His Word, through His Spirit, etc. The question once again is, are we even listening and are we willing to submit to His will rather than what we think is best. We read in Proverbs 14:12, "There is a way that seems right to a man, But its end is the way of death."

Balaam is approached by representatives from King Balak of Moab to come and curse the people of Israel. Balaam does the right thing by inquiring of God and we see the response in Numbers 22:12, "And God said to Balaam, "You shall not go with them; you shall not curse the people, for they are blessed." This is perfect, he prayed, God clearly answered, and Balaam acted on God's clear answer. But the problem was it was not the answer that Balaam wanted. Balaam shows what he truly desires in his response when the princes of Balak return a second time. He says in 22:18-19, "Though Balak were to give me his house full of silver and gold, I could not go beyond the Word of the Lord my God, to do less or more. Now therefore, please, you also stay here tonight, that I may know what more the Lord will say to me." We read in Balaam's second prophecy in 23:19, "God is not a man, that He should lie, Nor a son of man that He should repent. Has He said, and will He not do? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?" God, being perfect, does not change His mind. So we see God's response to Balaam after He clearly had already answered his question the first time in 22:20, "And God came to Balaam at night and said to him, "If the men come to call you, rise and go with them; but only the word which I speak to you - that you shall do." What we see is the will of God in His first answer as opposed to the permissive will of God which is God's second response.

When we hear God telling us His will, this is His best choice to our prayer and we would do well to submit to it, even if it is not the response we wanted. If we prefer to debate, resist, argue and rebel against His will, He loves us too much to overpower our own free will and our self-determination will win, but this is God's second best for us. Even if we seek His second best, as long as we continue to align our will with His, it can turn out well, as we read in Romans 8:28, "And we know that all things work for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose." The problem is never with God, but with us. The problem is not only do we often desire our own will, but our own desired outcome. Which means, that as we continue down our path of our own will, we continue to close our ears to God's will. Even when God does wonderful things through us we must continually keep our eyes on Him throughout. We see in Numbers 23-24, that Balaam faithfully spoke forth God's words. But we will read later that Balaam's desire for the financial reward superseded his desire to fulfill God's Word. He will give Balak the master plan on how to curse the Israelites. Consider Balaam when we read those scary words from Jesus in Matthew 7:22-23, "Many will say to Me in that day, 'Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?' And then I will declare to them, ' I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!'" May we never forget that what we should desire is to be an empty vessel to be filled with His Spirit and His will. Our desires can be stated in prayer, but prayer should always be a dialogue in which we seek His will rather than our own.