Listening Prayer

When we engage in listening prayer, we are taking the time to be quiet in God’s presence in a posture of open readiness to receive His words and respond. God is in the driver seat, and we acknowledge that we can’t force him to saying something. We surrender to His terms and His timing. We are quiet ourselves to be ready to hear His voice. For example, we might read a verse and a word or phrase stands out to us or we might be listening to a song or sermon and something catches our attention. To practice listening prayer, we can stop and stay in that moment waiting to hear what God wants to say to us. Cultivating that practice of waiting and listening allows us to hear, recognize and respond to God’s voice when He speaks. It helps us to differentiate between our own voice or other voices and the voice of God.   

Biblical References:  Deut. 4:10; 13:4, 18; 1 Kings 19:9-18; 10:27; 14:26; 16:12-15)  

For more on Listening Prayer: 

Book:  When the Soul Listens by Jan Johnson 

Article:  Listening Prayer Guide: How to Hear from God by Rebecca Vindetti 

Podcast: Prayer — Deepening our intimacy with God by Ruth Haley Barton 

Retreat guide: Learning to Hear God by Jan Johnson