Prayer is a conversation between Man and his creator (God). It is not a one-way conversation as many have taken it to be. It is a two-way communication mode where one speaks, and the other listens. The speaking and listening could be from any of the two ends. When we pray, God hears and listens. He then, in turn, speaks to us concerning our prayers, but it’s quite unfortunate that too many of us do not wait patiently enough to hear him speak.
When things become worrisome and confusing, we wonder if at all He hears us. We begin to search for ways to hear him; when in the real sense he speaks to us and loves to do so always: we are just too occupied to hear him speak.
Tips on hearing God
Like other means of hearing God, hearing God through prayers requires some steps to be taken.
- See him a friend who is always ready to listen and speak to you. Jeremiah 33:3: Call unto me and I will answer thee, and will show thee great and mighty things which thou knowest not. He not only hears us, he speaks!
Not until you understand that God freely speaks to us every time we pray, it would be difficult hearing from Him through prayers. How can one ever listen when he doesn’t know what to listen to?
- Do not be too much in a hurry when waiting on God to speak to you.
Habakkuk 2:1 (KJV), I will stand upon my watch, and set me upon the tower, and will watch to see what he will say unto me, and what I shall answer when I am reproved.
We have to be patient in his presence if we want to hear him speak. Impatience during prayer would only mean we are just after what he has to say not because we really enjoy hearing him speak to us. When you love the company of a person, no matter how long it takes, you don’t rush him to say things at your pace. You simply wait on him to speak at his convenience.
- You must be familiar enough with God to recognize His voice when he speaks to you- (John 10:27), My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:
Like the sheep recognize the voice of the shepherd and follow his lead, so also we ought to be able to distinguish between the voice of God and other voices when speaking to us.
- Always set time aside to hear him- Habakkuk 2:1-3. We must make it an obligation to hear God often rather than rushing to hear him only when we are confused or frustrated. The more you listen to God the more excited he gets to speak to you.
Also, know hearing God through prayers unlike other media is very communal because it builds a strong bond between God and man. (James 4:8a) Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Like He did with Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, He is still interested in speaking to us; if only we could see Him as a friend that He truly is.