This is the 23rd in a series of studies on the subject of prayer

The Lord came and stood there, calling as at the other times, ‘Samuel! Samuel!’ Then Samuel said, ‘Speak, for your servant is listening.’
1 Samuel 3:10 (NIVUK)

When you pray to God, do you often come with a shopping list of things for him to do? They can be good things we are asking for such as the healing of a loved one, that someone might pass that exam, or get the job they are going for. When you pray, do you find yourself pouring your heart out to God about your worries, anxieties and problems? When you pray, are you sharing with God your hopes and dreams for the future, and thanking him for all the good things he has done in your life?

All these things are right and proper for us to pray about, and God loves hearing from his children about everything, and anything that concerns us. It’s a great privilege that nothing is out of bounds when we talk to our Father in heaven. 

In all this activity of prayer we do the talking, yet speaking is only half of what it means to have a conversation with God. If, in prayer, we spend all our time talking, then we could miss out on what God has to say or show us in return. In prayer, it’s important not only to speak to God but also to listen.

God may not speak to us audibly, as he seems to have done with Samuel, but he communicates with us in more subtle ways, like guiding us toward specific people, nudging us to read a verse in the Bible, placing thoughts into our minds, or steering us towards or away from a certain choice or course of action. 

Listening to God means cultivating a practice of not just speaking to God in prayer but of paying attention to God’s responses: to spend quiet time just listening for his voice in whichever way he chooses to communicate to us. 

Yes, we can and must test what we are ‘hearing’ from God with the message and context of scripture, and with trusted and mature Christian friends. Our starting point though is to join with Samuel in saying to the Lord, ‘Speak, for your servant is listening.’  

Prayer
Loving Father, forgive us when we drown out your voice. Help us to sense your loving presence when we pray, and listen as you speak. Thank you for your guidance and peace as we tune into your voice and listen to what you have to say. In Jesus’s name, Amen.