Listening Prayer Part 1

Matthew 7:7

Don’t bargain with God. Be Direct. Ask for what you need. This isn’t a cat-and-mouse, hide-and-seek game we are in.

 

The first time I heard of this was at Training Camp last year. To be honest at first I thought these people were kind of crazy.  They believe that God responds back to the questions they asked him. I was uncomfortable with that, but my real problem was that I didn’t think that this wonderful amazing God would really spend that time speaking to me! God loves us SO much. He wants to communicate with me and you. He wants to show us what we want to know, he wants to answer our prayers. He wants to know us, and us know him.  He wants us to have a PERSONAL relationship with him. He wants me & you and your grandma to all have a different, special relationship with him.

 

Think if you could ask God what his will was for you and then hear his response? Wouldn’t that be life changing! Well, he does want to speak to us, we just have to listen.

We don’t have to pray these prayers with thousands of words, we don’t have to think about what we need to say or worry if we are praying the correct way,

 

Listening Prayer is asking God a question and waiting for a response. It’s not complicated, or saying the right words. It’s about being willing and waiting. You might already be hearing God, but you don’t want to put words in God’s mouth and dishonor him if it isn’t him, but have you ever stopped and thought maybe you were dishonoring him by not crediting him? So don’t be afraid to give God the credit!

 

So, here is what I encourage, challenge, want you to do. I want you to give this a try. You might not hear anything at first but keep trying! What do you have to lose? What if you had the opportunity to hear God’s voice but never tried?

 

Take a ½ hour a couple times this week and try!

Ÿ  Quiet Yourself.

Ÿ  Ask for protection from deception.

Ÿ  Ask for clarity to hear & understand.

Ÿ  Wait & Listen.

 

Journal your questions and the responses that you get so that you can record what you heard. Then you can look back on it later. Get guidance from someone more spiritually mature then you, so that you can make sure what you hear is from God. Journaling also helps you keep focused about what you are doing. Don’t worry if other things pop into your head, like your English paper or that you forgot to feed the dog, just have another piece of paper to write down these things, because by writing those down you both dismiss them from your mind and remember to do them.

 

Don’t worry if you don’t hear anything the first time. Practice is the only way you will see results.

 

When you get an answer, clarify that it is from God by going through these steps.

Ÿ  Ask: Is it Scriptural?

Ÿ  Ask: Will it produce good fruit, or spiritual growth?

Ÿ  Don’t be afraid to ask someone (who is a mentor, or who is more spiritually mature)

Ÿ  Apply it! Don’t be content to hear from the Lord, but do what he tells you.

 

EXERCISE

 

Journal about this: Take your Bible, journal and two different colored pens. Use one to write what you are thinking, and another to write what God is saying to you.

 

Spend a few minutes thinking about this scripture:

 

2 Chronicles 7:14-15 “If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land. Now My eyes will be open and My ears attentive to prayer made in this place.

 

Ask God these questions and wait for the Holy Spirit to respond.

 

1. What has kept me from you?

 

 

2. Have I humbled myself & sought your face?

 

 

3. What do you want to tell me?

 

 

 

 

This Bible Study was written by Emily Halls using excerpts from the book  “The Art of Listening Prayer” by Seth Barnes.