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Introduction: Prayer as Two-Way Conversation
We are continuing our series on prayer with the idea of listening to God. Last week, our head of worship and creativity reminded us that prayer is the very life breath and lifeline to Jesus for Christians. If praying prayers such as the Lord's Prayer is us breathing out, then listening to God is us breathing in—that moment when we stop to take time and hear what he wants to say to us.
This listening prayer, or contemplative prayer, is part of that two-way conversation we are called to have with God. Jesus said in John 10, "My sheep know my voice." Think about this: you cannot know someone's voice through only talking at them. Every meaningful relationship—friendships, family, marriage—requires listening. My grandmother used to tell me, "James, you have two ears and one mouth, so you need to listen twice as much as you speak."
The Problem with Only Speaking
If all we ever do is pour out in prayer, we become a husk. When we constantly go to God and tell him our problems—and he does long for us to bring everything to him—but if that is all we do, we can never hear the plans he has for us. We can never hear the promises he wants to speak over our lives. We can never hear the desires of his heart.
You cannot just breathe out all the time. If you do, you will very quickly stop breathing.
Samuel's Example
In 1 Samuel 3, young Samuel is in the temple. God has called him a couple of times, and Samuel keeps running to Eli, asking, "Did you call me?" But Eli says it's not him. Then Eli tells Samuel, "Go and lie down. If God calls you, say, 'Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.'"
When God comes again and calls Samuel, the boy says those words: "Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening." And God says, "See, I am about to do something in Israel that will make the ears of everyone who hears it tingle."
Listening is important because if we don't listen, we won't hear. God has so much he wants to say to us.
Listening Is Active, Not Passive
Listening might look like you're doing nothing, but it is not a passive action. True listening requires us to stop. It forces us to make a space. It demands that we say, "I'm going to take this time." The medieval mystical work The Cloud of Unknowing says, "Resist intense mental activity when it comes to seeking God. Intellectual activity will only hinder you." Don't try to analyze everything. Don't come searching for solutions. Let that go and simply be open to what God is trying to say.
There are five primary ways God tries to speak to us—they all begin with the letter S:
Often, scripture is the biggest way God will speak to us. As the Psalmist says, "Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path." If God is speaking to us, it will always be in line with his written Word.
Jesus said to his disciples, "I am sending the Counselor to you." A counselor comforts, provides guidance and wisdom, and listens. As we take time to listen and stop to recognise the Spirit's voice, we become more attuned to it. Sometimes we wonder, "Is that the Spirit or is that me?" Well, the good news is we can always check it against scripture. God's Spirit will never contradict his written Word—it has never happened and it never will.
Proverbs says, "The wise listen to advice." Sometimes the community of brothers and sisters around us can provide excellent counsel. Again, if God is truly speaking through them, what they say will align with the Holy Spirit and with scripture.
Psalm 16:9 says, "Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body will rest secure." God gave us senses for a reason. We shouldn't trust them 100% of the time regardless of everything else—I'm a very different person when I'm hungry than when I'm not!—but our senses help us. Have you ever had a gut feeling that something was wrong, and it turned out to be? Or felt a deep sense of peace about a decision even though it seemed crazy? That's God working through our senses.
When Jess and I were thinking about coming to York, everything in me wanted to say no. Yet we couldn't get past this complete sense of peace. If the senses we're feeling are truly in line with God's will, they will line up with everything else—his Word, the Holy Spirit, and what the community is saying to us.
Psalm 37:5 says, "Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him and he will do this." God opens and closes doors. When we visited one curacy, everything looked perfect on paper, yet we both walked away feeling it was wrong. So we said no. Then, four months later, when no other offers had come, Matthew sent me an email asking if I was looking for a curacy. That seemed like a pretty big sign to me—because it aligned with what God was doing in everything else.
Some of us might think, "I can't do contemplative prayer. I'm not a particularly contemplative person." But listening prayer is for everyone. If you've ever had a desire to hear God speak to you, if you've ever wanted to sit at his feet and wait for him, then contemplative prayer is for you. It's that simple.
The Cloud of Unknowing reminds us, "Let the word remain. Sit and wait, and we will hear."
Find a Quiet Place
Matthew 6 says, "When you pray, go into your room, close the door, and pray to your Father who is unseen." This requires us to step away from what we're doing day to day and set apart a time—whether five minutes or fifty—to be present.
Ask God to Speak
Say like Samuel, "Speak, Lord, your servant is listening. I'm here. I want to hear your voice. I'm waiting for you."
Be Still and Wait
Psalm 46:10 says, "Be still and know that I am God." Sometimes it's tempting to think, "God, I'm listening," then thirty seconds later give up and go do the shopping or run an errand. But sometimes God simply enjoys sitting with us. God is far more patient than we are. Sometimes he just wants to enjoy that space with us before he speaks.
Brother Lawrence, a 17th-century monk, said, "Often in the beginning you will think that you're wasting your time, but you must go on. Be determined and persevere despite all difficulties." If we stop, if we wait, if we ask—God will speak to us.
We are going to practice something called Ignatian Imagination, a form of listening prayer. You will take a piece of scripture—and always use scripture that includes Jesus, because he is what everything is about. Read it through a couple of times quietly.
Then sit with the scripture and ask God to speak to you through it. Imagine yourself in the scene:
As you ask these questions, ask God to speak through them. If you feel God speaking to you, write it down. After, if you want to share what God has said with others, that might happen over coffee or with one of the stewards or the Prayer Ministry team.
Remember: If we stop, if we wait, if we ask—God will speak to us.
