As I bring you today’s thoughts, may we slow down, read, and actively listen with and open our hearts to what God has to say. A vital part in the believer’s life is to stay in fellowship with God through prayer, worship, Bible study- meditation on scriptures, and communion with other believers. Prayer, then can be said to be comprised of both a conversation with God and actively listening to Him through His word and other believers.
Over the past few weeks, the Holy Spirit has been dealing with me in this very idea of actively listening. So many times, problems arise in relationships because of poor communication. The common cause of poor communication is usually that of one individual being a poor listener. Listening has been a common fault of mine in the past.
I have come to the conclusion that listening is a skillful art…one that must be learned and practiced, which may not come naturally to many people.
Actively listening must become a part of every Christian’s life so that we are effective in God’s Kingdom work. This also includes the question, when God is speaking, are we listening?
Listed below are thirteen Scriptures, which show us that God is a good listener and that active listening is a vital part of prayer.
- John 10:27 – 28, My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one can snatch them away from me…(NLT).
- 2 Samuel 22:7, But in my distress I cried out to the LORD; yes, I cried to my God for help. He heard me from his sanctuary; my cry reached his ears (NLT).
- 1 Kings 8:30, May you hear the humble and earnest requests from me and your people Israel when we pray toward this place. Yes, hear us from heaven where you live, and when you hear, forgive (NLT).
- 2 Kings 20:5, Go back to Hezekiah, the leader of my people. Tell him, ‘This is what the LORD, the God of your ancestor David, says: I have heard your prayer and seen your tears. I will heal you, and three days from now you will get out of bed and go to the Temple of the LORD (NLT).
- Job 34:28, They cause the poor to cry out, catching God’s attention. He hears the cries of the needy (NLT).
- Psalms 4:3, You can be sure of this: The LORD set apart the godly for himself. The LORD will answer when I call to him (NLT).
- Psalms 9:12, For he who avenges murder cares for the helpless. He does not ignore the cries of those who suffer (NLT).
- Psalms 28:6, Praise the LORD! For he has heard my cry for mercy (NLT).
- Psalms 34:4, I prayed to the LORD, and he answered me. He freed me from all my fears (NLT).
- Psalms 91:15, When they call on me, I will answer; I will be with them in trouble. I will rescue and honor them (NLT).
- Psalms 145:18, The LORD is close to all who call on him, yes, to all who call on him in truth (NLT).
- Jeremiah 33:3, “Ask me and I will tell you remarkable secrets you do not know about things to come” (NLT).
- Zechariah 13:9, I will bring that group through the fire and make them pure. I will refine them like silver and purify them like gold. They will call on my name, and I will answer them. I will say, ‘These are my people,’ and they will say, ‘The LORD is our God (NLT).
As a believer, God has promised to hear us and answer our prayers. It is vital that we learn to listen to Him and discern His voice; for HE WILL guide us, give us His wisdom, show us His ways and reveal His truth to us as we learn to listen.
Another way to say this would be that Prayer should be and is to be considered a conversation or you might say (a discussion) in which we are actively engaged in both talking to God and listening to Him.
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