Today is Day Six of 31 Days of Encountering God! If you missed the kick-off, you can go HERE and find the Introduction as well as each days post! (I will be adding every day as the month goes on!)
What is Listening Prayer?
Have you ever heard of Listening Prayer? It has changed the way I pray... and the way I live my life with God - day in and day out! You see, when you practice Listening Prayer - you tune your ears to hear His still small voice and you discover that as much as you long to hear from Him... He longs to be heard - and He IS speaking!
You can get Listening Prayer by going HERE... it's a great book and one I highly recommend! (No affiliate involved!)
Listening Prayer is simply approaching prayer as a conversation! We all know how to come before God and ask Him for stuff... if we have walked with Him for any amount of time, we even know of the importance of thanking Him for stuff too... but to come before Him, quiet ourselves... and ask Him something... then wait. No - I mean... like quiet our thoughts and still our bodies and actually wait... listening for His response...
We are way too quick to disregard His Voice... thinking it is just our own silly thinking... or we are making it up... or fill in the blank. But rest assured... there is such a thing as Practicing His Presence and when we learn to wait on Him... we tune our hearts and ears to the frequency and we learn to discern when it is Him and what He is saying.
Of course - He never ever contradicts His Word and it does us well to spend time with Him getting to know what He has to say in the Bible... but the Bible is not the only way He speaks today. Sure - it is ONE way... but I believe He desires to sit with you and conversate as much or more than you would love to have Him in front of you, on your couch... chatting over a cup of tea!
And here's the thing... He's right there! He lives within you and He is ever Present... and the Good News really IS good news because He is in a good mood and He desires to not only hear your heart... to not only heal your heart... but He desires to be heard. In the Word... yes. Through your Pastor and other mentors/disciples/friends... of course! But one on one... intimately... He desires to sing over you and have you actually HEAR Him. Mostly - it's not audible... but you can train your ears through practice and stirring up your faith to hear His still small voice!
So each Sunday, through out this #31Days series... I will include a photo... maybe a Scripture or a Prayer... and I invite you to join in and do a little Listening Prayer of your own. For me, I am a writer... a journaler... so I like to quiet myself in a comfy spot and open up my Bible and journal... read a couple of verses if you need that to help you be still and focused... and simply write out a question... and write the answer that comes.
If you are not used to this... it really can feel like you are just making it up. Just let it flow... the more you listen and expect your prayer life to be a two way conversation... the more you will be amazed at how much He has to say!
Father God,
We come before you today
and we are desiring to hear Your Voice.
We love you Lord, and we want to
not only come with a list of needs...
of petitions and requests...
but we want to have a conversation with You.
We want to hear what Your thoughts
of us and to us really are today!
We are looking for connection...
for wisdom and grace...
for direction and hope...
Most of all, Jesus,
we are looking to find You
in the midst of our every day.
Show us that You are here...
Stir our hearts today Lord
and help us to learn to hear
the ways you speak!
We wait on You...
(continue on in prayer... ask Him whatever you want...
whatever is on your heart... pen and paper in hand,
waiting for what first pops in your head... write it down...
pray it through... add your own amen!)
Linking up with The Nester and 100s of other #31Day Bloggers!
What a beautiful post, Karrilee. So true...I have been trying to discern His voice during my prayer time lately, as I am seeking His guidance and direction for my life. Getting and remaining still in the quiet is KEY to being able to "hear" His voice. Such a timely post for me.
ReplyDeleteI will be praying for you Amy to hear more clearly... to get that guidance and direction that you seek... matched up with the boldness required for just a bit of risk taking - as I heard in this mornings' sermon, "God is more concerned with your obedience than He is with your understanding!" May He speak in ways that surprise you, but that are unmistakable all the same! Blessings, friend!
DeleteThanks so much for linking up this beautiful post at Sacro Speco! I just went to our church's prayer retreat a few weeks ago, and am still processing the wonderful time of secluded prayer, and what God showed me. It's also been wonderful to know you through the fb incourage writers page. (I need to get more involved - this month has been crazy busy thus far!) Blessings!
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Thanks so much Sarah! It's amazing how much He has to say when we quiet ourselves and really listen!
DeleteGreat post, Karri!
DeleteLove this Karrilee. The fact that God speaks to us just never gets old me me. It's the way I became a Christian and will forever be a hallmark of my faith. I'm just so, grateful. BUT, in saying that, I to am guilty of sometimes doing all the talking and not leaving time for listening. I've been conscious of this lately as I know God's drawing me to a place of greater intimacy. Thanks for sharing about this topic. x
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