Listening to God

I just finished a devotional on the Bible app this morning with my sister called Listening to God. The content was solid throughout, but the last day in the series was my favorite. It challenged me (again) to examine the ways that my pride and fear get in the way of hearing from God.

Listening to God

The final day of the devotional ties all of the concepts in the preceding days. It delivered a more prescriptive format for prayerfully listening to God. None of it is an earthshattering revelation. I’ve heard it before, but I liked the format (especially the last step) enough to want to share it here.

1. Set Aside Time: Be willing to commit your focus and time to hearing from God from the outset. This is not about getting a response NOW. It’s a deliberate intent to consistently approach God on the issue until you get a response.
2. Get Still: Clear the distractions. Fix your thoughts on the Lord, on what His word says He is and how you relate to Him. This naturally leads to step three, which is…
3. Recall God’s Goodness: Remember the miraculous things He has done. Meditate on the promises in His word. Mindfully review the ways that you have been blessed by Him.
4. Make Your Requests: God knows what is in your heart and mind before you begin. Yet, our Heavenly Father eagerly desires that you will come to Him and trust him with what you want and need. Exercise that privilege, seeing it for what it is.
5. Submit to His Answer: Consider the state of your heart in making the request. What if God say’s no? What if His response is for you to wait? Is there pride or something else that would interfere with accepting God’s answer?

It’s important to remember that these are only guidelines. Christian prayer is not an incantation, nor do we lay expectations on God. Instead, we exercise faith that He is true to His word because of the faithfulness He has demonstrated in the past.

Hearing Him Speak

Ever since I returned to faith four years ago, I have found myself wanting to hear clearly and consistently from the Lord. I want to have the kind of relationship with God that is depicted in the early church and among the prophets.

He has spoken to me, and He has moved in and around my life in miraculous ways. I have seen it, and I remember these moments gratefully. But, I have never heard Him audibly. Always it has come to me through His word or in my mind.

I have been praying for certain things for a long time. But, recently, I have noticed there is a certain reticence or perhaps fear on my part to ask for God to move in big ways in my life. I like my routine. I love the ways that I feel He is currently using me.

The idea of stepping outside of the boat, of asking Him to do something new… it’s a request that requires that I be willing to accept that maybe it’s not the things I am currently doing. And, as someone who loves routine, that’s not easy to consider.

What would I be willing to change to take the next step deeper into relationship with Him? And, if there’s something I don’t want to change, why is that part of my life creating tension in the pursuit of greater intimacy with Him?

Scriptures on Listening to God

I have come to love Ephesians 1, but only after having someone walk through it with me phrase by phrase, verse by verse. Previously, it was a challenging chunk of text that I skimmed over. I find that verses 17 and 18 are especially relevant, in Pauls prayer for the church:

“that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints,” Ephesians 1:17-18 ESV

And, I will encourage you with this final section of scripture, not to abstain from participating in the privilege that Jesus affords us all in going directly to the Father with our requests.

‘do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. ‘ Philippians 4:6-7 ESV