Romans 8:26-27 NIV
Job 38:4-7 NIV
Philippians 1:6b NKJV
Listening Series
I had a moment this week when I knew who I was praying for but I wasn’t sure how to pray. You may know what I’m talking about...
I was trying to be still so I would know, but I was still not sure. In that moment, God reminded me that when we do not know what or how to pray, we can ask the Spirit to do it for us.
That’s exactly what I did.
I’m not sure why I wasn’t hearing how I should pray, but I think it’s possible that God was saying sometimes we just don’t need to know all the facts.
Sometimes it’s enough for us to say, “I give it (them) to you because I’m not sure how to pray. Spirit, can you pray FOR them (or me)?”
That’s just how much God loves us and wants to help us.
Even when we don’t know what words to use, God captures what we carry in our heart and in our mind and He puts our unspoken words in the golden bowl that holds our prayers for all eternity.
In Romans 8:26-27, Paul wrote, “In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God.”
As much as anything, the words we use when we pray help us know how God has answered. The words are for us.
And so it would seem we’ve come full circle.
We’ve talked about what listening to God is, and have done a brief overview about how to listen. I say brief because there are thousands of ways to listen and we’ve only covered a few. Hopefully, something will spark a thought in the future when you want to connect with God and know what God is thinking.
I am reminded of what God said to Job in Job 38:4-7:
“Where were you when I laid the earth’s foundation?
Tell me, if you understand.
Who marked off its dimensions? Surely you know!
Who stretched a measuring line across it?
On what were its footings set,
or who laid its cornerstone—
while the morning stars sang together
and all the angels shouted for joy?”
Daily I am reminded that I was not there. I am not powerful or knowledgeable about God. The best I can do is surrender humbly to God and wait for God to respond. I have learned that in the waiting, God who “has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ” (Philippians 1:6b).
Thankfully, God’s not finished with me yet.
I do know one thing for certain. Hardly a day goes by that I don’t yearn for more of God. I long to hear Him speak to me. I have a burning desire for His truth. I want to hear God. And if wanting it moves me a tiny bit closer to God every minute, I’ll hold onto the longing.
I remember when I was young and I had the opportunity to talk with my dad about God, I wanted ever so much to hear God half as much as he did.
I asked God then to teach me more about Him, teach me how to hear Him.
I asked Him to teach me His ways.
I believe now I’ll continue to ask God to give me more of Him until I see Him face to face, for I long for God every day.
For now, I’ve loved writing about listening for God. Years ago I read a great book, “Can You Hear Me” by Brad Jersak. I’ve also read other books about hearing God, but when I read Jersak’s book, I remember feeling like new door had opened.
Reading it made me want to hear God more.
My prayer is that in some small way, this series helped you to want to hear from God.
Today’s Spiritual Practice is: Desire to Hear
The best way I’ve found about how to hear God more is to ask God to teach me how to hear Him. So, if that is your prayer, I encourage you to ask God to teach you how to hear Him.
In God, Deborah
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