Our culture does not allow for silence. We must always have background noise. If there is a lull in a conversation, we must speak up to fill it. It seems as if we almost can’t tolerate the quiet.
Listening to God goes against this grain. It requires us to be still, to be quiet, and to wait.
So, practically speaking, how do we listen?
We must learn to listen.
- Start small. Set aside just 10 minutes. You can do anything for 10 minutes, even be quiet. Eventually, you will be able to listen for longer periods of time.
- Find a quiet place to sit, turn the ringer on your phone off and set your phone across the room out of reach (or, better yet, leave it in another room), and shut the door.
- Have a listening attitude. Realize you may not hear anything during this time. It’s okay if you don’t. The Lord is looking at the attidude of your heart — at your willingness to sit still before Him and to wait on Him to speak. You may find that He tells you something later on in the day or even on another day. He may speak to you when you’re least expecting it, perhaps when you’re busy doing something else and not really focusing on hearing from the Lord. Enter this time of listening prayer expecting to hear from the Lord, but don’t get upset with Him if He doesn’t speak right away. Just as you are being quiet in His presence, allow Him room to be quiet, too. Just keep a listening attitude throughout the rest of the day. Keep in mind,
The main purpose of listening prayer is not to hear something.
- Grab a pen and some paper. As you sit still, random thoughts may pop into your mind. Errands to run, chores to do, texts or emails to send, friends to call. At first, you will be distracted by the chatter in your mind. Jot it down, and then go right back to listening!
- As you wait before the Lord, you may become conscious of sin or areas of failure. Deal with it right then! Confess it, repent, ask the Lord for forgiveness, accept His forgivenes—and forgive yourself, if you need to. Then, go right back to listening!
- You may think of a phrase of Scripture or a line from a song. That’s the Holy Spirit speaking to you! Grab your pen and paper, and jot it down! Then, go back to listening.
- Remember,
The main purpose of listening prayer is for the Lord to transform your inner life. This transformation doesn’t come from anything He says. It comes from waiting quietly on the Lord, soaking in the silence of His presence.
Habakkuk Ministries 