There was a man who had a habit of grumbling at the food his wife placed before him at family meals. Then he would pray a blessing to the Lord. One day after his usual combination of complaint and prayer, his little girl asked, “Daddy, does God hear us when we pray?”
“Why, of course,” he replied. “He hears us every time we pray.” She paused for a moment, and asked, “Does He hear everything we say when we are not praying?”
“Yes, dear, every word,” he replied, happy that he had inspired his daughter to be curious about spiritual matters. However, his pride was quickly turned to defeat at his daughter’s next question. “Then, which words does God believe? The words said during prayer or the words said before?”