receiving SMS messages

[Bruce Adams]

I've had the impression, on other phones, that the GSM network could 
successfully deliver a message into the SIM card inside my phone, but if 
the phone software was too distracted to hear the initial notification 
from the SIM card about the new message, the phone wouldn't notice the 
message until another message came along or something else happened 
(such as rebooting the phone) that caused the phone to look for messages 
on the SIM.

Is there a way to actively interrogate the SIM card for a list of 
messages (instead of waiting around for a new message notification)?

- Bruce

P.S. I have to admit I have zero depth of knowledge about SMS, GSM or 
SIM cards.