Listening to God
Resources for Prayer
THE TASK
Faced with the chaotic state of the world today there has probably never been a greater need for receiving clear guidance from God since the early days of World War II and the Battle of Britain.
Issues on the international scene: The growing threat of terrorism, the Middle East crisis, the migration into Europe, the threat of Islamisation.
Issues in Britain: Should Britain leave the EU? Secular humanism and declining church attendance threaten the future of the gospel – the battle in the spiritual realm.
THE NEED TO HEAR FROM GOD
Intercessors will all be aware that prayer is not just talking to God; it is a two-way process. But how many intercessors and intercessory prayer groups really take time to listen to God?
Intercessory prayer without listening can be dangerous. If you pray for peace when the Lord is saying, “There is no peace” you put yourself against God. If you pray for calmer days in the nation and God is saying, “I am shaking the nation” you put yourself against God.
Effective intercession has to begin with asking God what is on his heart so that we can align our prayers with the will of God. This is what Jesus meant by praying “in his name”. The faithful intercessor begins by asking the Father to set the agenda. That means spending time listening to the Lord. The Bible gives us plenty of information on why it is important to listen and how to listen.
THE IMPORTANCE OF LISTENING
The importance of listening to God is emphasised in many passages throughout the Bible. The following are a few from the Prophets who lived in times of great danger to the nation and continually called for both the people and the leaders to listen to God.
All the following Bible passages should be read aloud to allow the Holy Spirit to impress the message upon our understanding.
The Call to Listen: Jeremiah 6.17 – 19; 7.12 – 14; 7.23 – 28; 11.6 – 8: Isaiah 48.17 – 19: Psalm 81.8 – 14.
THE PURPOSE OF LISTENING
Forewarning The task of the prophets was to give forewarning. The prophets had to learn to listen to God so that they could warn the nation. Jeremiah 6.22 – 23.
Guidance The prophets had to give guidance to the people. Jeremiah was asked for guidance as to whether or not the people should go to Egypt, Jeremiah 42.3 – 12. This is similar to the church today being asked for guidance on the Referendum – should Britain leave the EU or stay under its authority?
When intercessors are asked for guidance it is important not simply to respond by praying for what is popular. The Prophet Nathan made that mistake when he told King David to go ahead to build the Temple. He then listened to the Lord and had to go back to David to correct the guidance he had given to him. Read the story in 2 Samuel 7.1-17.
THE PRACTICE AND TEACHING OF JESUS
Jesus spent a lot of time listening to the Father. He spent the whole night in prayer before calling his disciples: Luke 6.12.
Jesus taught his disciples that listening to the Father is essential; John 8.47. He himself confessed that he could do nothing without first hearing from the Father. The testimony of Jesus was that he could do nothing on his own initiative; John 5.19 – 20 and 5.30.
Learning to recognise the voice of the Lord was important in the teaching that Jesus gave to his disciples. John chapter 10 is important for this teaching. Read John 10.2 – 5; and 10.14 – 16.
HOW TO LISTEN
Learning to be quiet and receptive is the most important thing in allowing God to set the agenda for intercession.
Jesus liked to go somewhere quiet, to be alone when seeking the Father. He began his public Ministry by having a period alone in a desert place which is described in Luke 4.1-13.
The Prophet Isaiah learned to use the early morning when the house was quiet for listening to God. Before he had had any human conversation he would lie still and let the Holy Spirit connect him to the Sovereign Lord and he would listen quietly. He made this a habit every day so that his whole thought process was under the direction of God at the beginning of each day which enabled him to give clear guidance in his Ministry. Isaiah describes this in Isaiah 50.4-7.
Many intercessors, if they engage in intercession straight from the demands of a busy day, find that they need to spend time allowing the pressures of the world to drop away before they can enter the presence of the Lord. Jeremiah called this “standing in the Council of the Lord to see or hear his word” (Jeremiah 23.18).
Sometimes we simply have to begin with confession of our own unrighteousness before coming into the purity of the presence of God. It is always helpful to begin by reading the word of the Lord and spending a little time meditating upon its truth: using something like: “How great is the love the Father has lavished upon us, that we should be called the children of God! And that is what we are” (1 John 3.1).
Jesus said “The Father will give you whatever you ask in my name” (John 15.16). But James reminds us that for effective intercession we must be aligned with the will of God. He says “You do not have because you do not ask God. When you ask you do not receive, because you ask with the wrong motives” (James 4.2 – 3).
The Father will always respond positively to those who truly seek him in love and humility. This is what he promised to his people in exile in Babylon who were in a desperate situation weeping beside the River Euphrates. He promised: “I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you, declares the Lord. (Jeremiah 29.12-14)
TESTING REVELATION
All prophetic revelation, whether in pictures or in words, should be carefully weighed. Paul stated this as an instruction to the unruly congregation in Corinth, 1 Corinthians 14.29. The two major tests of what we are receiving are: does it conform with Scripture? And, is it confirmed by the Spirit of the Lord through prayer? Those receiving revelation should willingly submit what they believe they are receiving to others in the group.
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