Listening prayer: Conversing with the "Threeness" of God
- We must first recognize that every prayer starts with God
- Our best prayers are simply responding to his call
- God is one, yet reveals a "threeness" about himeself
- (male pronouns are not meant to indicate that God has a gender; it is merely a linguistic reference)
- That "threeness" tells us that:
- God has always/eternally been in relationship
- Always been communicating
- ...in a community (father, Son, Spirit)
- God speaks AND listens AND responds
- ...so prayer is a relational activity
- Ephesians 2:6: We are NOW seated with Christ in heaven
- (a positional access pass, not a geographic location)
- So, it makes sense to first listen to the conversation of the "threeness" God:
- The Rescuer, Jesus our Savior, interceding on our behalf to the Father
- The Alighty, our Creator/Father, listening, eager to grant what our savior requests
- The Spirit eavesdropping on the conversation eager to invite us into this discussion (Romans 8: 26-27)
- Hebrews tell us to come boldly before the throne of grace (4:16)
- I suggest that boldness is not praying louder but listening better then agreeing with Jesus in our requests to the Father
- ...In other words, the best praying is when we echo what Jesus presents to the Father
- So, we must ask-seek-knock:
- Ask - it is better to ask the Holy Spirit a question than to first ask him to fix-it, help-me, bless-us
- Ask, what is Jesus praying and how can I join in that prayer to the father? (Hebrews 7:25)
- God loves when we connect to all three aspects of the Trinity when we pray
- Seek - after we ask a question it is only polite (and wise) to be still, be silent, begin seeking (listening), search scripture and, as we gain discernment, to...
- Knock - pray boldly (because we know we are praying the mind of Christ and the heart of God by the leading/filling of the Holy Spirit) ... pray against (knock) any barrier that would hinder "thy kingdom come, thy will be done" in this prayer as it is in heaven (Matthew 6:10)
- Ask - it is better to ask the Holy Spirit a question than to first ask him to fix-it, help-me, bless-us