Discuss: 1) What thoughts or new ideas do you have about prayer? 2) What is more challenging for you: speaking to God or to listening to God? Why? 3) Spend three to four minutes writing a prayer to God about something that is on your mind (a problem, concern, need). Then spend three to four minutes asking God if there is anything He wants to say to you. Write down whatever you hear Him say. For those of you who would like to pray together, we have a prayer meeting tonight from 8-9 pm at Bumble’s house which you can join via Zoom meeting ID 982 537 9632.
(Danny)
My thoughts or new ideas I have about the prayer is that not only people are praying to hear from God, they are only praying to listen from God, “Listening to God can be a bit mysterious. God doesn’t need to speak out loud to get through to us.” This show empathy and it is important to listen what God have to say through their mind. Both are challenging to me because I am currently working on to learn more about what is like to hear from God or what is like to speak to God while praying. I will try my best to learn and continue to pray and hope that I soon to be ready to listen what God have to say to me.
(from Roger)
I often think what would god want me to do in various situations that arise in my life? This passage was telling because I know god is omnipresent and omnipotent and is the creator of it all, the example it used where “Regardless of what we are doing, if we sift out the noise of our lives, we can make room for His voice. But how can we be sure it is God speaking? We can know because thoughts will come into our minds that we know didn’t come from us. They will be consistent with His Word and what He wants for us.” I used to look for overt acts or obvious signs that god wanted me to take one course of action or another or siphon through speaking to various people until the answer provided was overwhelmingly one sided and even then, when it didn’t coincide with what I wanted, then it would be 50/50 on whether I went that route. But in my struggles recently, I can definitely see times where the thoughts that came into my head when I was struggling were neither mine or anyone else’s I was speaking to at the time. I choose to believe it was god, at that time. I used to believe it was just my head ruminating through all the potential outcomes of a situation, but this passage helped me see or remind me that gods acts don’t have to be overt in nature. In the depths of my addiction, the pain of continuing the vicious cycle lead to a lot of introspection. I see now that I was praying and trying to communicate with god and when I finally listened, I was able to find a way out. It just sucks that a lot of time the way to god through prayer is in times of immense pain. I am thankful for him carrying me to my 210th day clean of my volition. Truly a miracle.
This one isn’t difficult for me at all. Listening to god is more difficult due to the fact I believe it takes practice. As an addict, I spent so much time in my head, so even to this day, I find it difficult to discern if the thoughts are just a result of all my years of drug use or if they are from my higher power. Wha
I like how the book points out that we genuinely go into the presence of God when we pray. It’s something we take for granted and we don’t usually think of it that way. There’s more than just talking to God in our prayers, we have to actively engage and not get distracted.
For me, the more challenging aspect of prayer is listening to God. It’s easy for us to come and ask God to provide us with various things in our lives. But when God is speaking to me, sometimes I ignore it because I want to live my way. I need to surrender my pride and listen to what God wants me to do and actually do it.
After spending time praying, God helped me to be less worried about my future. Big things are coming up in my life that I have to do and I’m very anxious about it. But the time I spent with God, he helped me to stay calm and casted my worries to him, knowing that he has good plans for me and my family.
1. Reading this is a good reminder of how important it is to use prayer time to not only speak to God, but also listen. Prayer is a means of both.
2. Probably listening is harder because it’s hard to slow down and be still. I can get caught up with the busyness of life. Also, I tend to just go to God in prayer when I “need” him which isn’t how it’s supposed to be.
3. God, I pray over my relationship with my girls. Please bless it and give me the wisdom to foster a love for you in them. I give you fears and I pray that you fill in the gaps with my shortcomings.
Celeste: 1) What thoughts or new ideas do you have about prayer?
There is no right or wrong formula for hearing and speaking to god. Praying is giving space for god to listen to you. Giving space for you hear god.
“ when god seems silent, know that He is always there, always listening, always working, always involved.”
2) What is more challenging for you: speaking to God or to listening to God? Why?
Listening to god is more challenging to me because as I mentioned before I sometimes don’t want to hear the answer yet I already know the answer. It is also more of a spiritual relationship to be listening to god or finding the answer that he gives. Learning to open my eyes, heart and ears for those signs from god ( his answers) is at time more challenging to me than speaking to him.
3) Spend three to four minutes writing a prayer to God about something that is on your mind (a problem, concern, need). Then spend three to four minutes asking God if there is anything He wants to say to you. Write down whatever you hear Him say.
Heavenly Father, there are days that I feel your light and feel the strength that you give me to make it through the challenges that I’m facing. Then there are days that I question if I’m doing the right thing, how will you change me or that person? I know that only you can change me and not I . It is so hard to walk through my pain but I feel most at ease when I am alone , serene and praying to you , that I suddenly feel strong again and know that I have turn everything over to you and it is the right choice. I can do this because it’s not me but it’s you that put these thoughts into me. Thank you lord for your subtle answers and guidance. In Jesus name, Amen.
I thought it was very interesting when it said that we may praying to God but we might not be present. Also the idea that we really need to pay attention and just slow the distractions around us cause I know I struggle with that. I feel like I tend to have a harder time listening cause I often am expecting like a distinct answer or voice telling me the plan or the idea. I prayed to God about career and I have definitely calmed down. I feel like he showed me a plan that I can follow and stick through and I just gotta to start executing it.
1. It is really encouraging to know that during prayer, we are talking to the Most High God who was and is to come. We are talking the most powerful person in Jesus Christ. I also like how prayer is free, and that when we pray, we don’t need to follow a structure, even if it is recommended to use the ACTS (Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication) prayer, or the TACOS (Thanksgiving, Adoration, Confession, Others, Self) prayer. I just like that we can just talk to God wherever we want, whenever we want. Last Tuesday, I went on a prayer walk at the FVHS school campus and it was really nice being able to pray for the school while walking on its soil.
2. Listening to God is challenging because there are a lot of things that I have in my mind to share with Him to the point where I don’t give Him the time of day to speak to me. I realize now that even if we should pray and talk to Him, we also must be patient and listen to Him when He wants to speak to us.
3. Dear God, I wish I could do more for Cru at FVHS as the President. I feel like I am not doing enough, and I know that it is not by my skills but it’s my faith and my identity, but sometimes I feel like I could do so much more as a President. Speak to me, oh God. I don’t know what else You want me to do as Cru’s President. In Jesus Name I pray, Amen.
“It’s not about how you are doing, but how you are being”
1) The only thought regarding prayer right now is how much time I have squandered and not spending in His presence.
2) Speaking to God has always been a challenge for me; probably because as an introvert, I would prefer listening over speaking. And also being an audible person, I learned and memorized things better with sound.
3) Lord, thank You for giving me an opportunity to teach Hermeneutics and Hebrew at the Bible school this semester. I’m both humbled and excited to pass on the knowledge and the passion for the subjects. Help me to glorify You through my teaching.
“Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord, and not for men,”
I definitely realize that prayer is a 2-way communication between God and myself but often times I struggle to listen. Even in daily conservations with my family there are times I find myself speaking to be heard rather than listening. But when I remind myself I’m in the presence of the Mighty God full of wisdom how could I not want to hear what He has to say to me,what He wants me to do? I think the art of listening to God requires me to be present with the focus on God rather than coming into prayer with the focus on myself. The book posed a hypothetical about spending time with a favorite actor, athlete, business person and how excited we would be. We would definitely be present with the focus on them instead of ourselves. Lord God, thank you that I have the privilege of coming into your presence, that you not only hear me but speak to me. Help me to treasure times of prayer, help me be sensitive to hearing your voice.
1) the God who is all-powerful, all-knowing loves me and wants to talk to me! I have access to my Father anytime of the day, 24/7!
2) listening to God is definitely more challenging for me because I need to quiet my mind first, and discern whose voice it is that I’m hearing
3) “God, that IRS letter claiming that I owe $1,115,000 from my 2021 tax filing came as a surprise (more like a gut-punch) to me, but it didn’t surprise you. Please calm my anxious heart. Thank you for reminding me that my Father owns the cattle on a thousand hills…(well, He owns the hills and the universe, too), and $1.1 million seems like a lot to me but not to you, Father.”
“If we sift out the noise in our life, we can make room for His voice”
It’s nothing new, but one fact that I like pointed out from today’s devotion is that there is no right formula for always hearing God.
I think it’s definitely more challenging listening to God. Often times, my desires get in the way from truly hearing what God wants of me. It’s easy to ask and see God as a genie, however, that’s not the case at all. It goes both ways. I need to actively do my part and practice obedience when listening to Him.
Father God, you know my heart, mind, and thoughts. You know what I’m thinking and feeling from the moment I wake up until I go to sleep. I’ve been having a lot of anxiety lately and I just pray you pour over your love and help me cast my worries to you. Help me turn to you when my anxiety is at its high and allow me to stay rooted in your Word.