Prayer is a tw0-way conversation with God, but more often than not it is easier to focus on the ‘speaking’ part of prayer than on the ‘listening’ part. Since James tell us we should be ‘quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry’ (James 1:19), it’s important that we learn to listen to God’s voice. Jesus told us that He is the good Shepherd and we are His sheep (John 10:11, Psalm 100:3) and says ‘I know my sheep and my sheep know me— just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep. I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd.’ (John 10:14-16) If we want to know God’s guidance throughout 2015 and beyond, we need to learn to listen.
This is not always easy, for distractions abound. We need to practise the discipline of silence if we are to hear God speak and shun the distractions (see how Martha and Mary dealt with this in Luke 10:38-42). God may well roar like a lion (Amos 1:2, Amos 3:4, 8, Jer 25:30, see Chris Tomlin’s ‘The Roar‘) and thunder louder than mighty waters (Ps 29:3, Rev 1:15), but He also speaks in gentle whispers (1 Kings 19:12) and if we are to hear these whispers, we need to be still and know that He is God (Ps 46:10, see also Ps 131:2). We have to ‘crucify the spirit of distraction’ (Richard Foster, ‘Sanctuary of the Soul’ P 106) and pursue prayer diligently and passionately (see Lam 3:26-31, The Message). Setting time aside and learning to quieten our impatient souls is the first step to listening to God.