Session #5-Reflection and Listening

Introduction

Whatever form of prayer we are engaging in, we cannot forget that prayer is fundamentally about a relationship with a person. And just like in our human relationships, our goal is not just to talk to the people we love and care for but also to listen to them. Sadly, it is this final form of prayer, reflection and listening, that is so often neglected in the lives of believers. To neglect reflective prayer is to embrace a one-sided prayer life that does not allow space for God to speak to us, both through his Word and through the Holy Spirit. Nothing will deaden your prayer life like believing that God does not desire to speak to you personally in prayer. 

However, many of us are confused by the idea of "listening to God." How exactly am I supposed to hear God's voice (most of us have yet to encounter a booming voice from the heavens)?  There seem to be two errors that Christians fall into when thinking about reflective and listening prayer. The first is to believe that God can only speak to us through the words of the Bible. If we confine God's voice to the words on the page, we can easily miss the ways that God is seeking to personalize the truth of his Word in our lives. The second is to believe that God speaks to us primarily through the Spirit in our thoughts and intuitions. If we rely solely on the Spirit to listen to God, we are in danger of elevating our thoughts and feelings to the status of divine revelation. This leads to all sorts of strange claims or ideas that may or may not be of divine origin ("God told me to marry this person," "God told me to quit my job," etc.). Here we find a tension in listening to God's voice that we must hold if we are to practice this vital aspect of prayer faithfully. 

"We need the sharp-edged, absolute character of the Word and the intuitive, personal leading of the Spirit. The Word provides the structure, the vocabulary. The Spirit personalizes it to our life. Keeping the Word and the Spirit together guards us from the danger of God-talk becoming a cover for our own desires and the danger of lives isolated from God." - "A Praying Life: Connecting with God in a Distracting World" by Paul E. Miller. 

What thoughts or reactions do you have to the idea of listening to God in reflective prayer?  What makes this aspect of prayer particularly difficult? 

What are your thoughts on the two errors that believers often make when attempting to listen to God? What are some ways that we can guard against these errors? 

Read Acts 8:26-30, Acts 16:6-10, Acts 20:22-24 Together and Discuss

Each of the three passages read gives examples of God speaking (through the Spirit) to believers. What patterns do you notice in them? Who initiates the communication? 

The Bible doesn't explicitly tell us what it felt like or sounded like to hear from the Spirit. Why do you think that is? Does anyone have an experience to share where they felt like the Spirit was speaking to them? 

 Read Psalms 16:5-8 Together and Discuss 

What do you notice about David's focus in this psalm? How does reflecting deeply on God and his grace help us in listening for "guidance" and "counsel from the Lord?"

David says that because the Lord is "at his right hand, he will not be shaken." How can you cultivate an awareness of God's presence outside of your prayer time, and how will that help you hear from God?

This Week’s Practice

Our practice for this week is to follow David's pattern of seeking "the Lord's counsel at night when our thoughts trouble us." (Psalm 16:7.) Many of us spend our evenings anxiously looking at our to-do list, mindlessly scrolling through the news or social media, or binge-watching whatever series we're currently streaming. This week's practice invites us to end our days with our hearts towards God. We want to explore an ancient method of prayer known as the Examen, where we review our day through the lens of noticing God's work and asking God how we are called to respond. This practice combines both reflection and listening and is a simple way to begin to insert these often-neglected disciplines into your prayer life. 

Each day in this coming week, set aside ten or fifteen minutes at the end of your day (but before you are too sleepy to make yourself attentive to the practice) to practice the Examen. 

Rest- Take a moment of silence to rest in God's presence. Take a few deep breaths if you need. Ask God to quiet any other voices or distractions that may be present. 

Replay - What happened today? Begin from the earliest thing you can remember. Slowly work through the events of the day with an eye towards God's presence. Focus on the day's gifts. Look at the work you did, the people you interacted with. What did you receive from these people? What did you give them? Pay attention to small things—the food you ate, the sights you saw, and other seemingly small pleasures. God is in the details.

Rejoice - Where did I feel grace today? Where was God particularly present? Pick out one or two things from the previous step and spend some time praising God for it. 

Repent - Where did I feel emotional pain today? Where did I sin? There will likely be a few moments that emerge that will either convict you, frustrate you, or hurt you. Talk to God about these things. 

Resolve - To live differently tomorrow, if need be. And sleep with gratitude. Pay attention to any emotions that arise. Make sure to give God a sufficient amount of time to speak into whatever situation you are focused on. 

A Few Notes

1. Remember that these are practices (Meaning they take practice). You will very likely find this to be a challenging experience the first few times you attempt it, and that is okay. Just giving God this space is a fantastic start. 

2. Don't worry if you get distracted or lose track of the steps! That is perfectly okay! God may be drawing your heart and mind towards something more important than completing this practice. 

3. Don't feel like God has to speak to you in any specific way or at a particular time. Remember, the biblical pattern is that God initiates this communication. Also, learning to discern God's voice is a lifetime process. The prophet Samuel heard an audible voice from God three times and still didn't recognize it (1 Sam 3:1-10)! For some, God will speak with a thought or a strong impression in the mind; for some, it is a word or image, and for all of us, it is through the words of Scripture. Don't become frustrated as you continue in the journey of “experiencing and connecting with God." Prayer is an invitation to a relationship, and all relationships worth having take time to flourish.