Top o’ the Mornin’ to Ya!
Just the other day we were talking about listening during conversations with others, and I was recently convicted at church about my conversations with God – specifically about how little listening I was doing.
What?
Not too long ago – maybe 18 months back – my prayer life was completely one-sided. If I wasn’t talking, I wasn’t praying. I felt I needed to fill every moment with my words, believing I couldn’t hear anything from God otherwise.
My wife, on the other hand, hears God’s voice quite clearly – even receiving specific guidance like “move to the other lane” while driving. She describes hearing actual words, but my experience is different and more subtle, which sometimes makes me nervous about discernment.
Since then, I’ve intentionally added more listening time to my prayers. I begin by asking the Lord to guard my heart and mind during prayer, ensuring no other voices enter that space. This is especially important because my spiritual hearing feels unrefined, and I need to be certain it’s His voice I’m detecting.
Why?
There’s a fundamental imbalance in how many of us approach prayer. We treat it as a monologue rather than a dialogue. We come with our lists, our requests, our words – but rarely do we create space to hear what God might be saying back to us.
This reflects our human conversations as well – how often are we truly listening versus simply waiting for our turn to speak? Both with people and with God, genuine communication requires both speaking and attentive listening.
Lesson
Before entering listening prayer, I’ve found it helpful to begin with a short meditation to quiet my mind. I sit with feet flat on the floor, shoulders back, and body relaxed. When I first attempted meditation, I would get frustrated with myself whenever thoughts arose, thinking I was “doing it wrong.”
But proper meditation isn’t about eliminating thoughts – it’s about peacefully letting them go when they appear. No guilt, no shame, no frustration. Just gentle release and return to stillness.
After this centering practice, I pray specifically that God would not allow any other spirits, voices, or entities into our conversation. Then I speak less of my own words and spend more time in receptive listening – not dismissing ideas outright, but listening for anything related to the prayers I’ve offered.
Apply
I believe this practice of intentional listening in prayer aligns perfectly with how we should approach human conversations – with presence, attentiveness, and genuine interest in what the other person is saying.
My ongoing prayer is that I’ll eventually hear God’s voice as clearly as if spoken aloud, enabling me to respond more accurately to His guidance. For now, I’m practicing the art of listening prayer – creating space, quieting my thoughts, and tuning my spiritual ears to His frequency.
How about you? What percentage of your prayer time is spent listening rather than speaking? I’d be fascinated to hear your experience in the comments below. Is it 10%? 50%? More?
You be blessed!
Finding God’s Voice in the Silence of Prayer
