Prayer is central to the Christian faith. Believers are told to “Pray without ceasing.“ (I Thessalonians 5:17).
Scripture also says that prayer brings His kingdom to earth. How does this happen? What does it look like?

It seems to me that learning to pray is a lot like learning a foreign language — communication involves listening, observing, speaking and acting. At times I have found myself doing more talking than listening when I pray. Have you ever seen a tourist who doesn’t speak the language of a country and keeps trying to get a point understood? The volume goes up, the talking increases and none of the effort leads to communication. That’s how I feel when my prayers are mostly about me talking without taking time to listen and learn God’s ways of communicating.

It can be difficult to grasp what it means to communicate with God, who is invisible. However, Scriptures say that Jesus was a perfect representative of God:

Very truly I tell you, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does. John 5:19b

Learning to pray requires observing how Jesus acted and then following his example. Obedience is the way we demonstrate to God that we have heard from him:

If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. John 15:10

It’s so interesting that Jesus says “keep my commands”, not “Keep the Commandments”.  Jesus didn’t just keep the “Ten Commandments” as if he had learned them from a book; he spoke them fluently through the love he showed as well as the words he spoke. He showed us, through his example, how prayer brings God’s kingdom to earth. That’s how we are to learn to pray as well.

Here’s an example: My father is elderly and hasn’t been able to hear any of the messages that our Pastor, Alex, has given. That doesn’t matter at all. He loves Alex and thinks the messages are amazing. He’s picking up on what Alex is saying without being able to hear words. He sees the Lord’s prayer being lived out:
“Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” Matthew 6:10.

Thinking of prayer as a way to hear from God and learning to speak His language, we need to learn to communicate in the way Jesus did, with our whole selves, not just our words. In this way we become more and more a part of a wonderful conversation that God invites us into.

Application

Communicating in a foreign language begins with the basics of vocabulary and building simple sentences. Being a fluent speaker requires much more – learning the give and take of speaking and listening as well as the pronunciation, culture, and mannerisms of native speakers.

Think about the prayers and lives of believers who have made an impression on you. What has stood out to you about their words and their actions? Take a moment to thank God for the way he transforms us as we learn to communicate with Him in prayer. Ask Him to continue transforming you.

Travelling is one of the great themes in the Bible. Abraham left his home and journeyed to a foreign land in obedience to God’s command, Jesus and his disciples spent three years traveling together, and Paul, Timothy, and James were missionaries in foreign lands. The life of faith that Christians are called to, described through the life-journeys of believers in Hebrews 11, is both beautiful and sobering.

The idea of being on a journey resonates with every human, because we are constantly encountering new challenges in which wisdom is needed. Whether on a voyage far from home or while making a way through various stages of life, acting with wisdom is difficult. The choices we need to make are usually complicated. Many circumstances in life are beyond the scope of our influence. In those cases we especially need the wisdom to trust that God is in control. How do Christians learn to live wisely on this journey of life?

These verses tell us that we need to rely on both Scripture and the guidance of the Holy Spirit:

All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness,
17 so that the servant of God[a] may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. 2 Timothy. 3:16-17 NIV

“I have much more to say to you. It is more than you can handle right now. 13 But when the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own. He will speak only what he hears. And he will tell you what is still going to happen. 14 He will bring me glory. That’s because what he receives from me he will show to you. 15 Everything that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said what the Holy Spirit receives from me he will show to you.” John 16:12-15 NIV

If the Bible can “thoroughly equip (us) for every good work” why do we need the Holy Spirit? Isn’t learning from a book, and especially the Bible, more reliable than learning from a spirit? What could the Holy Spirit add to what the Bible can teach us?

“I have much more to say to you. It is more than you can handle right now. John 16:12

We need to be taught as we go through life stages. To take an everyday example: a child entering preschool needs to learn the basics of making friends and taking turns. Getting a lecture on choosing a career path would be more than they could handle. In the same way, Jesus taught his disciples with truth that was relevant to them, and the Holy Spirit meets us where we are.

The Bible is “useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness”. (2 Timothy 3:16b). But when the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth. (John 16:13)

The Spirit helps us understand how to apply scripture to our lives and will prompt us to act and speak in ways that build his kingdom. Jesus did not give his disciples a huge amount of information while expecting them to figure out how it applied to all the situations in which they would find themselves. He taught them more through stories and by his example of his actions in many situations. In the same way, the Holy Spirit assists us in applying the Bible’s wisdom to everyday life.

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. John 14:27

We can all get discouraged, and need perspective and the comfort that the Holy Spirit provides. Jesus said the Holy Spirit will be a comfort to all believers in whatever circumstance we find ourselves.

Application:
In 1 Kings 19:12b, God speaks to Elijah in “the sound of a low whisper”, not through the awesome and mighty sounds of the wind, earthquake, and fire that preceded it. In his message, Alex said that this “thin” sound is like milled grain being poured into a container.

Find a place where you can encounter ‘thin’ sounds. Some of my personal favorites sounds – wind whispering through dry grasses, the metallic brushing of Canadian geese in flight, melting snow and ice, and a chain moved by the wind, swinging against a flagpole with an irregular rhythm. Even in a noisy household, there are ‘thin’ sounds–a small child breathing, a pet padding across a hardwood floor, chopping and stirring as food is prepared.

As you tune into thin and beautiful sounds in our noisy world, ask God to help you be sensitive to the gentle leading of the Holy Spirit.

Prayer – having a conversation with God – is something the Bible says anyone is able to do.

Do you ever wonder if God speaks more clearly to other people than He does to you? Do you ever question your ability to discern God’s voice?  I have. Typically, this happens when I’m overwhelmed. When my children were small, I wondered if some of the parents I saw in church had a more direct pipeline to the Lord’s instruction. I hadn’t slept well in years, while other parents looked unnaturally cheerful and well groomed. Did their kids have furious fights in the parking lot? Probably not. Had their cat thrown up on the clean laundry minutes before they were leaving for church? No way. In my worn out despair, I imagined that these couples had somehow worked, stumbled or prayed their way into the favor of God. So, they were able to get all the parenting moves right and had the good sense not to have a cat with gastric weaknesses.

Do you find yourself in situations that lead you to think that God is not speaking clearly to you? Has frustration with your shortcomings or circumstances in which you’ve found yourself, made you think you’ve misheard what God’s been saying to you?

If you can relate, the story of Elijah portrayed in I Kings 18-19 would be worth reading. Elijah is by far my favorite character in the Old Testament – he’s scrappy, has a great sense of humor, and operates completely without a filter. In just three chapters, he has quite the range of experiences – all of which I will not attempt to recount. His adventures are amazing. But if there’s one thing that characterizes Elijah, it’s that he is, without a doubt, a person who has many conversations with God.

In spite of all this, life for Elijah is not all smooth sailing. Actually, he gets so worn down by persecution from the king and queen of the day, that at one point, he’s had it:

 “I have been very zealous for the Lord God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, torn down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too.” I Kings 19:10 NIV

In response to his complaint, God puts on the most remarkable show:

Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. 12 After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. 13 When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave.
I Kings 19:11-13 NIV

A few things stand out to me in these verses:

• Even though Elijah feels like God has let Him down, he doesn’t stop praying; and God doesn’t give him the silent treatment.
  (”When you stop whining, we can talk!”)
• God doesn’t respond to Elijah’s complaint with a pat answer. His response – a most amazing range of nature’s special effects, from wind to earthquake to fire – it’s a reminder that the circumstances that most grab our attention may not be the ones God is speaking through.
• Most importantly, remember that our circumstances aren’t a reflection of the quality of our prayer life. Jesus, “the author and perfecter of our faith” (Hebrews 12:2), experienced circumstances far worse than any we can ever expect. If anyone had a direct pipeline to conversation with God it was Jesus.

Application

If you’re feeling down, be reminded that conversation with God can continue at all times, when we’re at our best and even when we’re at our worst.
Do you have complaints and concerns? Try turning them into prayers. It’s easy to complain to others or to let thoughts keep rolling around in our minds.
Keep focusing on bringing everything to God instead. Then take time to ask God what He might have for you in your situation.

Preview “God Who Listens”