More than a decade ago a good friend gave me a copy
of Listening Prayer by Leanne
Payne. This book helped launch me into a discipline that has seriously reinvigorated
my spiritual life. I remember reading:
“Knowing that Jesus is truly
Emmanuel, God with us, and learning to hear His voice is vital to becoming
spiritually mature. Listening to God – which is a key part of practicing His
presence – is not a method, but a walk with a Person.” p. 121
Listening isn’t about trying to get things from
God, it’s primarily about developing greater intimacy with the Father, Son, and
Holy Spirit.
A few Christians I know think listening to God is
the latest evangelical fad and even doubt that it is biblical. 700 years before
the birth of Christ (nearly 3,000 years ago) we see the Old Testament prophet
Habakkuk listening
to God. He said, “I will stand at my
guard post. I will station myself on the wall. I will watch to see what He will
say to me and what answer I will get to my complaint” (Hab. 2:1). Habakkuk
had a question or complaint of some kind and so he went to a place where he
knew he would be alone, asked God his question, and watched and waited for His
answer. Listening to God is not a new whim. It’s as old and historical as the
Bible itself.
Commenting on Habakkuk, Leanne Payne says, “In order to hear we look up and out of
ourselves to the Source of all being – the Uncreated, the Objective Real.” p. 122
In 1 Corinthians 2, the Apostle Paul explains that
a primary function of the Holy Spirit is to help us “understand what God has freely given us.” Later in this chapter, Paul
reasoned out loud, “Who has known the
mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?” He concluded his thoughts by
boldly declaring, “But we have the mind
of Christ.”
I have access to the mind of Christ that resides
deep within me (See John 7:38-39).
If you’ve placed your faith in Christ, so do you. This means we can get away
from the noise of our 21st century world and fully focus on God just
like Habakkuk did. We can employ the authority of Christ to command all voices
other than the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit to be silent. Following the
prophets’ example we can ask God a question about something that we are
concerned about. Then, as we listen, the Holy Spirit (the mind of Christ) can
think His thoughts deep within us.
Do you have something you’re worried about or
struggling with? Have you taken it to God and asked Him about it? Follow the
3,000-year-old example of Habakkuk and listen to God. I’m betting He’ll have
something helpful to communicate with you.
God is more interested in speaking to
us than we are in listening.
You may find this meditational worship song to be helpful in preparing for a time of listening to God.
Examples
of a few different questions you may want to ask God:
·
Jesus, what is Your word for me today?
·
I really
got upset at work yesterday. Would You reveal what was being triggered deep
inside of me? What do You have to
communicate with me about I was triggered about?
·
In Psalm
40:17 the Psalmist says, As for me, I am
poor and needy, but the Lord is thinking about me right now. God is constantly
thinking about you. Why not ask Him; Lord,
would You reveal to me some of the thoughts You’re thinking about me?
·
I lost
my temper with my spouse last week. Anger is usually a secondary emotion. Ask
God, what was the emotion I was feeling
just underneath my anger? After He reveals what was under the anger, ask
Him, what do You want to say to me about
what I was feeling?
·
If
you’re going to meet with a good friend for coffee ask, Lord is anything special you want me to say, do, give, or ask this
person today?
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