Listening Prayer
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Voices
From the moment when I wake, the distractions buffet me.
Clamoring for my attention, they assail relentlessly.
The voices of this busy world seem to fill my ears.
Drowning out your still small voice, the only voice I long to hear.
Lord, meet me in the moment in the quiet of this place.
Help me to hear your voice alone as I rest in your embrace.
Lord, drive the other voices from the temple of my heart.
And whisper words of wisdom which your Spirit can impart.
That I would hear no other voice.
O Master, draw me near
May I incline my heart to you,
Speak, Lord, help me hear.
Written by Frank Carpenter
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by Dallas Willard
by Frank Laubach
by Pete Greig
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CHARLES STANLEY: “If we come to Him doubting His ability to speak, we will have a difficult time listening. So we must come expectantly.”
PRISCILLA SHIRER: “There is a direct correlation between your level of anticipation to hear from God and your willingness to wait.”
AW TOZER: “Those who do not believe God speaks specifically will simply ignore or explain away all the times when God does communicate with them. However, those who spend each day in a profound awareness that God does speak are in a wonderful position to receive His word.
DALLAS WILLARD: “Far be it from me to deny that spectacular experiences occur or that they are, sometimes at least, given by God. But…the still small voice - or the interior or inner voice, as it is also called - is the preferred and most valuable form of individualized communication for God’s purposes.”
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Lectio Divina: Psalm 25:8-15
I Samuel 3:2-1
2 Chronicles 16:9A For the eyes of the Lord search the whole earth in order to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to Him. God is looking for those who want to hear Him.
Hebrews 11:6 And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek Him.
Psalm 145:18 The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth.
John 15:15 I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.
Jeremiah 33:3 - Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.
Psalm 25:14 the Lord confides in those who fear him; he makes his covenant known to them.
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Item description
Listening Prayer: Waiting vs. Serving
By Chelsea Bailey
When I was 16, I got my first job at a Mexican restaurant known for its neon signs and nachos. I started as a hostess and worked my way to waitressing. This restaurant was good to me, sustaining me through high school, summers in college, and graduate school.
Working in a restaurant is not for the faint of heart. I developed some thick skin and supreme multitasking abilities. (I also burned some nerve endings off my fingertips.) Even though I haven’t worked in this role for years, every now and then I’ll have a dream that I’m back waiting tables.
Several months ago I had one of these dreams. It was quite vivid. The restaurant was packed with staff and people. My section was super full. I was trying to take one table’s order. Three elderly ladies were giving me the most detailed, high-maintenance meal requests. At one point I said, “I don’t even think that’s on the menu.” I was confused and couldn’t keep up with the demand.
The next day, on Selah Saturday, the Lord started showing me the meaning: This is a picture of prayerlessness. This is what it looks like when I attempt to do God’s job. I try to manage all the demands alone. It leads to striving in my own (very limited) understanding and strength. It’s a recipe for stress and anxiety.
Can you relate? We know there’s a more excellent way!
Jesus is flipping some tables. He wants to decimate all the distractions so you can commune with Him. One pathway is through listening prayer. This spiritual practice helps us quiet the chatter (internal and external) so we can hear God’s voice and sense His sweet presence. This type of prayer allows God to set the table, prepare the meal, and guide the conversation.
When you have dinner at someone’s home, you don’t choose the menu. All you have to do is sit down, relax, and enjoy the evening as it unfolds. That’s what it’s like in our Father’s house.
Think of it this way: You’re first a waiter, not a server. Your primary occupation is to wait on God, not to serve other interests, demands, or worries. You’re listening to His words and just savoring the moment, fully present.
Remember Mary and Martha? (See Luke 10:38-42.) Martha was serving; Mary was sitting with Jesus. Martha voiced her frustration with her sister directly to Jesus, giving Him an order: “Tell her to help me!”
I love the Lord’s response: “Martha, Martha, you are worried and bothered about so many things; but only one thing is necessary, for Mary has chosen the good part, which shall not be taken away from her” (Luke 10:41-42 NASB).
Only one thing is necessary. Oh, how easily we forget! So here’s a gentle reminder…
I say to myself, “The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for him.” (Lamentations 3:24 NIV)
There’s an open invitation to wait on the Lord and feast at His table. Sit at His feet. Hang on His words. Enjoy His presence. Let Him anoint you with the oil of intimacy. He wants you to rest, receive, and take orders from Him first, not other people.