Prayer – Listen to God
Prayer should not be a one-direction communication, where we simply unload all of our stuff on God. Yes, He listens to us, but we also should use our prayer time to listen to Him. But, how? That is what we will wrestle with today.
The Bible shows us powerful examples of when God’s voice was audible and clear, such as when He was trying to make an impression on the disciples Peter, James and John when Jesus was transfigured before them.
Mk 9:7 Then a cloud appeared and enveloped them, and a voice came from the cloud: “This is my Son, whom I love. Listen to him!”
Jesus taught us that as his followers we would “hear” his voice and follow him.
Jn 10:27 My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me
And we know that the Holy Spirit is the helper sent to us by God to help us listen and learn.
Jn 14:26 But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.
And prayer should engage us with the Holy Spirit.
Jude 1:20 But you, dear friends, build yourselves up in your most holy faith and pray in the Holy Spirit.
Perhaps you have known people that seem to have the direct line to God. Somehow they have a capacity to hear almost directly what He has to say to them. I know some people with this ability. One friend in Afghanistan, for example, just seems to hear the Lord with remarkable clarity and ease.
However, many of us, and certainly me, can struggle with the listening part of prayer. It can be difficult to listen and hear, and then discern what is God’s message, or what is simply the mind wandering as you struggle to pray.
There is no formula for this, but here are a couple of things that can help.
- Accept silent time in your prayer. If we are filling the void with all of our words, His words can’t come through.
- If you think your mind is wandering, examine what your mind wanders to. Could that be something that God is urging you to pray about. For example, if we have something that we are worrying about, that is an easy target for your mind to drift to. Examine that thing. If you are worried about it, perhaps God is prompting you to pray more about it. The best cure for worry is to put it before the Lord.
- Listen for God’s promptings in your most recent activities. In your prayer time, think about what has occurred today, or perhaps yesterday. Can you see any hints of God’s hand in those events? In particular, was there anything that occurred recently that you shrugged off as “coincidence” or “luck” or perhaps “chance?” Maybe it wasn’t. Maybe it was God’s Holy Spirit giving you some subtle nudges and help. Pray about it, for clarity in His voice. Listen for what He might be telling you through those things in your recent activities.
Adjust some of your daily prayer time for listening, trying these techniques to better tune in. With practice and discipline, your sense of hearing Him will improve.
Have a blessed day,
Larry
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