Prayer is often practiced as a way for us to communicate with God, with the dialogue mainly coming from spoken words. We finish the prayer with “Amen” and then move on to the next task. How often do we start and end the conversation without ever listening for God’s response? Or how often do we pray but expect the answer to be what we want? When we do not receive the answer, we assume God didn’t answer our prayer…or did He?
If the response you expect is to hear a booming voice from a mountain top answering your prayer then you may feel depleted when that does not happen. Or suppose the anticipation for answered prayer is to come in the form of a neon light flashing with the answer, it might be a miracle if it happens, but again the chances are slim. To listen to God is to acknowledge that what you hear will come from a song, a bird chirping, a word from a friend, an unexpected card in the mail, or the breeze from the ocean. God responds to us in many ways.
So, how do you engage in listening prayer so that you can listen to God in prayer- by quieting the inner and outer noises that distract us from being fully present to God. It seems easy enough, but most people would say that silence or sitting in silence is challenging, let alone hearing from God. So, here in the linked resource are a few ideas to begin practicing listening prayer.
