How to Pray – 5. Waiting and Listening
During prayer time we also need to listen to God, to receive what God is telling us.
This requires us to wait and incline our heart to receive from God
Prayer is not only talking to God but time of hearing and listening. Many will say so, but it seems the vast majority does not really practice or even realize it.
Prayer is communication, and God never meant our walk with God to be one-way communication. In fact, God desires to speak to us, and not just listen to us.
Relationship
We can see that God meant for close relationship and communication with God right from the beginning of creation, as in the book of Genesis.
- God instructed Adam, told him to name the animals (Gen 2), and Adam could recognise the sound or voice of God in the garden. He must have been so familiar with the sound of God.
- Genesis 3:10, He said, “I heard the sound of You in the garden.. (NASB)
- God spoke to Adam and Eve (Genesis 3)
- God spoke to Cain (Genesis 4)
- God walked with Enoch (Genesis 5)
- God spoke to Noah (Genesis 6:13~ )
- God spoke to Abraham who was called friend of God, Isaac, Jacob, Moses etc.
We may be wondering, why in that case, there seems to be such rare cases in current times. I believe we can also notice from above, that as the time goes, there seem to be fewer people being so close to God, and God seems to be speaking much less.
I believe it just shows us that as sins come into our lives, separating us from God, and as we go further away from God, we, His creations, are just seeking God less, desiring and inclining to hear God less.
Rather than God who does not speak to us, it is us who are not interested in hearing God.
Yet God says to us,
- Jeremiah 29:13~14, You will seek me and find me when you search for me with all your heart. 14 I’ll be found by you,’ declares the Lord (ISV)
When Lord Jesus came to show us the way to God, our creator, and our Father, He exemplified about hearing and seeing what Father God shows, and accordingly obeying God. This is because Lord Jesus came to restore our relationship with God, cleaning our sins and getting sins out of the way, and bringing us back to the closeness, and communication with God.
- John 12:49, For I spoke not from myself, but the Father who sent me gave me a commandment, what I should say and what I should speak (WEB)
- John 5:19, the Son can do nothing of himself, but what he sees the Father doing. For whatever things he does, these the Son also does likewise. (WEB)
Waiting on God to Listen
Here is why we should wait on God, and incline our heart to hear God.
- Receive strength
- Isaiah 40:30~31 Even the youths shall faint and be weary, And the young men shall utterly fall,
But those who wait on the LORD Shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint (NKJV)
- Psalms 27:14 Wait on the LORD. Be courageous, and he will strengthen your heart. Wait on the LORD! (ISV)
- Isaiah 30:15, In repentance and rest you will be saved, In quietness and trust is your strength. (NASB)
- Resting in God
- As we wait on the Lord and quieten, we will be able to enjoy true rest in the Lord. When we look to God, lay all down before Him, God’s peace will fill us.
It is different from yoga or “emptying of mind” etc, although it may seem similar. Emptying of mind can also be dangerous, because we do not want any wrong thing to enter into our mind or soul.
Rather, when we are waiting on God, we are looking and concentrating on God and inclining on God, filling our heart with God, which will push away ourself but replacing with God, Who is good..The result will be peace and eventually to joy and strength.
- As we wait on the Lord and quieten, we will be able to enjoy true rest in the Lord. When we look to God, lay all down before Him, God’s peace will fill us.
- Cleansing and Healing
- Just like detoxing for our body, our soul and our spirit too need detox. Day by day we collect a lot of harmful wastes. Negative things of the world, fears, worries, discouragements, hurtful things, anger, lustful things, immoral thoughts, evil ideas, selfishness, pride, and many other undesirable things that we encounter. However, more damaging are those that arise from ourselves, many times as a result of the negative things we receive from the world. Lord Jesus mentioned in Matthew 5:11, “It is not what goes into a man’s mouth that defiles him; but it is what comes out of his mouth–*that* defiles a man” (WEB version). He was saying it is not physical food etc that defiles us but when we harbor and entertain evil thoughts inside us to a point of speaking out and acting out the evil thoughts, those are things that will make us unclean. It will damage us, and make our spirit and soul sick.
As we come and wait before the Lord, God many times reminds us of such and we need to let go of those things before God, laying them down and surrendering ourselves to God. When we release those, we will find the cleansing inside us. It is not what goes into a man’s mouth that defiles him; but it is what comes out of his mouth–*that* defiles a man.”
What will detox us and cleanse us is through the Word of God, and from being with God as we receive Who God is. His love, mercy, grace, faithfulness and many more.
With those rubbish in our lives removed, we will find ourselves being lighter, and joyful, looking at things differently in a better way, and treating others better which can also result in improvement even in a natural realm, for instance, in relationships with others.
Negative things like worry, fears, hatred, heaviness also hinders us from performing better in our daily activities and even in physical health. However, when those are removed, we will find we will be healthier even physically, and able to be more fruitful in the things that we do, including improving in creativity.
- Gets us aligned to God and His Will
- Psalm 139:23~24, Search me, God, and know my heart.
Try me, and know my thoughts. See if there is any wicked way in me, and lead me in the everlasting way. (WEB)
- Psalm 139:23~24, Search me, God, and know my heart.
- Soul searching and reflecting
- As we wait on God in quietness and focus on what God wants to say to us, we will be led to soul searching. The Holy Spirit will prompt us on our inner motives, what is our true treasure in our heart and why we are seeking God.
- Jeremiah 17:10, “I the LORD search the heart and test the mind, to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his deeds.” (ESV)
- Jeremiah 17:10, “I the LORD search the heart and test the mind, to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his deeds.” (ESV)
- As we wait on God in quietness and focus on what God wants to say to us, we will be led to soul searching. The Holy Spirit will prompt us on our inner motives, what is our true treasure in our heart and why we are seeking God.
- Pray according to God’s Will
- When we wait, it should be to hear what God’s will and way is. If we patiently and fervently continue, God will lead us to His will, lead us to have a glimpse of God’s heart. This can lead us to know what and how we should pray for, and give us direction, and teach us what we should do.
Praying is good but our prayer will not be effective, or be answered, if we are praying for wrong things. Praying according to what God said in His word is good but we still need to understand if we are getting the correct understanding and application to our lives. Otherwise, we may go amiss in our prayer.
- When we wait, it should be to hear what God’s will and way is. If we patiently and fervently continue, God will lead us to His will, lead us to have a glimpse of God’s heart. This can lead us to know what and how we should pray for, and give us direction, and teach us what we should do.
As such we need to be attentive to what God is saying to us through the Holy Spirit as we wait on God. What is in God’s heart, what is God’s will or direction, and what God means when He said in His Word, and if it is right for us to pray etc
- Priority changes
- As we wait on the Lord and seek God’s way, we will realize Who is truly the ultimate boss. Who we owe all to and should be bowing down to, Who God is. Who we are, and Who is the one who truly loves and cares for us. Who we should be listening to.
Many times in waiting on God, I come to realize that it is God Who loved us and gave all, that is His own Son, for us. Then I am convinced that He would want the very best for me. This means if God is letting me go through difficult times, then there must be a reason, and it should be for a better outcome. Because that is what the true loving father would do. The key difference is that God knows the future, whereas no one else including our enemy does. So I better trust and seek God, Who also has the ultimate power over all.
- Matt 6:33, Seek first God’s Kingdom and his righteousness; and all these things will be given to you as well (WEB
- Make us Ready while waiting
- Habakkuk 2:10, I will climb up to my watchtower and stand at my guardpost. There I will wait to see what the LORD says and how he will answer my complaint. (NLT)
There are so many benefits of waiting on God, and personally, it is something I came to enjoy although it still is not easy many times. However, it proved to be such a great blessing that I hope all will come to experience it for themselves..