By Charissa Toeller
My sheep hear my voice and I know them, and they follow me. (John 10:27)
Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening. (1 Samuel 3:9)
This summer, our middle and high school students are going through a study on prayer by John Mark Comer. We want to invite you to join us! So far, we have learned to pray through pre-written prayers and through crafting our own prayers that invite God into our lives. In this third part, we'll talk about various ways we can listen to God.
Through Scripture
In addition to the words of Jesus, 2 Timothy 3:16 says that all scripture is "God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness." God can speak to us through the truths He has already revealed in Scripture.
Jesus is the Exact Representation of God
Hebrews 1:3 declares that Jesus is "the exact representation" of God. When the Bible quotes Jesus, we are hearing God's voice!
Circumstances and Desire
Circumstances and desires can help us hear from God. Let me share an example from my life: I grew up in a ministry family. My dad was a church-planting pastor and my mom worked for the church like a full-time volunteer. Our basement was the church office, and our living room was rehearsal and meeting space. Even our dining room housed the sound equipment our volunteer setup team would pick up on Sundays at 6:00 am to take to our Sunday-only rental space. I was aware that sharing my home with a church wasn't a typical childhood, and that many kids would resent sharing their lives with their parents' jobs, but I loved it. As a young teenager, the idea of someday working in a church popped into my head one day. In the years following, the seed of that idea never left my mind, even when I tried to pursue other career options. So in this case, God used my background as a church-planter's kid (circumstances) and my love for music and church ministry (desire) to speak to me and direct me to where I am today. Praying through your circumstances and desires may help you discern where God is leading you as well.
Listening Prayer
It often feels like we do most of the talking when we pray, but that doesn't have to be the case. We can practice silence and stillness and simply ask God to speak to us.
Any Questions?
It is appropriate and important to challenge the messages we believe we've heard from God. If there is any doubt about whether it is really from God, there are two important tests:
Does it line up with or contradict scripture? God will never ask us to do something sinful or contrary to His word.
What do other trusted Christians in your life think? It's wise to share with others and ask for their help in prayerfully confirming or denying that a message is from God.
There is a big difference between something like, "I feel like God is calling me to love someone I don't get along with" and "God told me I'm going to be the next ______________" (insert famous person you admire). The first example lines up with scripture; it would make sense for God to impress that upon you since He wants us to love our enemies! The second is much more subjective. It's not sinful, so perhaps God really is leading you to a career change...but maybe text a friend to ask them to pray about it with you before you quit your day job!
Even if it's even less obvious, remember what our God is like: He was persistent with Moses (who didn't feel qualified to do what God asked of him), Samuel (who thought he was hearing the voice of someone else), and Jonah (who flat-out refused to obey God's voice). So don't be afraid to listen and keep trying whether you hear something confusing or nothing at all. Comer says to be patient and present yourself to God as a listener.
Your Turn
There are lots of ways to practice listening-prayer, but here is a structured example, called Lectio Divina, that you can try:
Choose a passage of scripture like a Psalm or a New Testament letter. (If it's not conducive to the following steps, try a different one.)
Read the passage prayerfully and note things that jump out at you.
Reflect on those things in a second read-through.
Respond by praying your impressions back to God.
Rest or meditate on God's words to you for a few moments.
If you try this, I'd love to hear from you! Feel free to send a message using the contact form at the bottom of the website.
Commentaires