Listening to God

Here's some suggested resources from Lena to help us listen to God:

Lectio Divina 

This is an ancient Latin phrase, first used by St. Benedict in the sixth century. It means “spiritual reading.” It’s a way of reading Scripture slowly and prayerfully, listening for God’s word to you. 

While you do not need to follow this four-step process, there are four movements to Lectio Divina that you may find helpful. 

First, get somewhere quiet and as distraction-free as possible. Open your Bible and pick out a passage that’s conducive to Lectio — a Psalm, a portion of the Gospels, or a section of an epistle (another word for letter, such as Romans, Ephesians, Philippians, etc.). Take a few deep breaths. Then: 

Read — A passage of your choice, slowly and prayerfully. Pay special attention to any words or phrases or ideas that jump out to you, or that move you emotionally or deeply resonate. 

Reflect — Reread the passage again, slowly. This time, pause over the word(s) or phrase(s) that were highlighted to you during your first reading. Meditate on them. Turn them over in your mind. Savor them. 

Respond — Pray your impressions back to God. You can use your own words or simply pray the text directly to God. 

Rest — Take a few minutes in silence to breathe deeply and rest in God’s loving word to you. 

If you’re doing this as a group, find somewhere quiet and distraction-free and read the four steps above out loud. Share your impressions with one another and pray them together to God.

Listening Prayer 

First, get somewhere quiet and distraction-free. Then: 

Breathe — Take a minute or two to just breathe slowly and deeply, clearing your mind to receive God’s word to you. You may want to simply pray, “Father” or “Jesus” or “Come Holy Spirit” as you inhale and exhale each breath. 

Silence — Ask God to silence the voice of the enemy in your mind, to clear the air around you, to shield and guard your imagination. 

Ask the Spirit to speak to you 

Open your mind and heart to listen — 1 Corinthians 6v19 tells us our body is a “temple of the Holy Spirit.” The Spirit within you has direct access to your imagination. Wait quietly with a surrendered heart. He may come to you in a: 

·                  Word or phrase 

·                  Scripture

·                  Thought 

·                  Metaphor 

·                  Picture in your mind 

·                  Short film, kind of a series of pictures in your mind 

·                  Feeling in your heart 

·                  Sensation in your body 

If nothing comes, don’t judge yourself, or God. Just give thanks for his love and try again later. Our job is to be present to God and to listen for his voice when he desires to speak to us. 

Test whatever you “hear” against Scripture and in community.

Apps

Lectio365

Recommended books

‘Prayer in the making’ by Lydall Bywater (chapter 3)

‘How to hear God’ by Pete Greig

 ‘The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry’ by John Mark Comer